New Souls
by LittlePlasticCastle
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley were never supposed to meet, let alone fall for each other. But when they both enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, everything changes. A two-voices story. Rated T just to be sure. R&R !
1. In this crowded place there is only you

_Hi everyone !_

_This is my first Harry Potter fiction, and it's about one of my favorite new-generation pairings : Rose and Scorpius. I hope you enjoy it !_

_The title of the chapters are lyrics from songs I've been listening to while thinking of this story. This is also an tribute to Hyacinthian, one of my favorite fanfic authors here. You can guess which songs they're taken from – I'll dedicate later chapters to you if you find out ;)_

_Disclaimer : Wish as I may, I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. I don't own the songs and the lyrics I'm quoting in the titles of the chapters either._

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_**What on earth am I supposed to do ?**_

_**In this crowded place there is only you**_

The first time I saw Scorpius Malfoy, we were both eleven years old, we were both surrounded by our families – mine so much more numerous, noisy and read-haired than his – and we were both about to get on the Hogwarts Express, which would take us to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and seven years of magical education. I was so excited to finally be here, to follow the steps of my bigger cousins. I wasn't paying much attention to the people around us on the platform, until the train engine blew some steam a few feet from us and I turned around to see where the noise came from. Behind the veil of steam stood three people, one of which was small and looked certainly as excited and bewildered as I did at that very moment.

Something in Scorpius Malfoy immediately caught my eye – maybe the fact that he was so blond, with hair almost silver-white in the automnal light of King Cross, while I was so used to the red hair of almost every member of the Weasley clan, me included – maybe the fact that he looked so _alone_, alone between his mother and father, more alone that I had ever been – so different from me indeed, that I just couldn't keep my eyes off him.

I noticed my father and Uncle Harry glancing intently towards Scorpius's father, who met their gaze, nodded cooly and looked away. How come they knew each other ?

Then my father said under his breath, loudly enough so I could catch it: 'So that's little Scorpius'. I flinched, his name was so unusual – so different again, beautiful – 'Make sure you beat him at every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains.'

My mum hit him playfully on the shoulder, frowning in disapproval yet looking amused. She told him not to turn us against each other before we'd even started school. Then she comforted me : my father was joking, of course, she said. I had nothing to worry about, I could make the friends I wanted to make and get the grades I'd manage to get and she would still love me.

But something inside me told me that if my father had warned me, even as a joke, there had to be a reason ; maybe Scorpius Malfoy was dangerous somehow, and I shouldn't come too close to him during my stay at Hogwarts.

This idea slightly brought me down : I was strangely attracted to this lonely boy. He looked so different from me that I had immediately felt curious about him, and I wanted to know him better. But it would never happen, and I would have to make other friends.

Thank God I have Al, James and all my other cousins to start with, I thought. I couldn't imagine how scary it would be to go through the journey, the Sorting, the welcome feast, without some friends to support you. And after a last glance to the mysterious blond boy who would have to do all this on his own, I got on the train.

It would take me six years to get past my newly-acquired fear of Scorpius Malfoy.

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_Only when I got off the train at Hogsmeade did I see the red-haired girl again. The one who was standing a few feet from me and my family on the platform back in London._

_I couldn't help but feel attracted to her. Something about her fascinated me. The moment I laid my eyes on her I realized she was everything I wasn't. Full of life, an excited bright smile on her face, red hair gleaming in the feeble London light, surrounded by half a dozen brothers and cousins – when I was alone with my parents and quite apprehensive about my first day at Hogwarts without any relatives or friends to laugh and joke with. _

_I tried to stare at her without her noticing, but I guess my father saw what I was doing, unless he was simply acknowledging the group standing around her. He crouched down and whispered in my hear :_

'_You see the two families over there ? These are the Potters and the Weasleys. You've already heard about them, haven't you, Scorpius ?' I nodded hesitantly, a little shocked. I didn't realize the group was composed of such famous wizards. But then my expression darkened : the fact that they were so famous only reminded me of the less than glorious role my family had played during the last War. This realization also brought another one : I would never be good enough for the red-haired girl, she would never agree to be friends with me. _

_My father certainly noticed who I was looking at, because he took me by the shoulder and walked with me a few feet away from my mother. He nodded towards the girl and told me :_

'_This girl – it's Rose Weasley. I can only give you two pieces of advice : one, beat her at every test – a little revenge on her mother – and two, try not to get too close to her – personal grudge against her father…'_

_Terrified by these irrevocable orders, I barely dared look at the group when I boarded the train. When I was in, I looked for a relatively empty compartment to sit in. I found one which was only occupied by a silent boy and a reading girl, and I went to the window. I sat there to wave at my parents – and to wait until I managed to suppress the tears filling my eyes. This was going to be a harder day than I expected._

_When the train was outside London and the landscape outside the window was green and empty of any trace of civilization, I sighed and turned around to take a look at my neighbours._

_The boy was beautiful, very confident-looking and a little intimidating. The girl was very pale, dark-haired, and looked shy even when absorbed with a book._

'_Hi', I introduced myself, 'I'm Scorpius Malfoy.'_

'_Oh. Nice to meet you Scorpius,' said the boy, 'I believe our fathers were Hogwarts friends : my name is Leopold Zabini.' The name didn't ring a bell, but again, my father had tried to cut out of his life all his former Hogwarts friends, who knew his past as a Death Eater. I could understand why he felt ashamed of having been a part of it. But I told myself not to be prejudiced, because after all Leopold wasn't his father – just like I wasn't mine._

'_And I'm Agnès Hysler' said the girl, turning pink. Saying only these few words must have been terribly hard for her. I immediately felt sympathy for her._

_I smiled at them, wondering if these would be my new friends. Not as interesting as Rose Weasley, I thought, sighing. But they were nice and friendly, and that was a start._

_And I watched the landscape unroll along the window, fighting the desire to get a glimpse of her again when we would get off the train. But even if I did – which inevitably happened because I couldn't help not notice her – that would change nothing. She was out of bounds, and I'd just have to deal with it._

_How was I supposed to know that all of this wouldn't matter six years later ?_

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_AN : So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, mild criticism (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! I'll try to update soon and often…_


	2. The sun hit my eyes

_Hi everyone !_

_Next chapter's ready ! Thanks so much __**Avanell**__ for writing the first review – I'm happy you liked it !_

_The title of the chapters are lyrics from songs I've been listening to while thinking of this story. This is also an tribute to Hyacinthian, one of my favorite fanfic authors here. You can guess which songs they're taken from – I'll dedicate later chapters to you if you find out ;)_

_This is Rose and Scorpius's sixth year at Hogwarts and this chapter is Rose's POV._

_Disclaimer : as usual, I own nothing._

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_**"You walked into the room**_

_**The sun hit my eyes"**_

The train wristled loudly, and I snapped back to reality. I had been staring at the landscape changing, becoming greener and cloudier as the Hogwarts Express progressed north, forehead stuck to the window, lost in a daydream I couldn't remember.

I looked around me at the compartment : it was empty, the others had probably left when I wasn't paying attention. I sat up unwillingly. I would rather have stayed there all by myself, reading the first chapters of this Muggle book my mum had advised me to read – _Jane Eyre_, that's what it was called_ –_ but I was quite sure that if my cousins and my little brother spotted me reading again instead of _having fun_ – meaning using the latest, untested devices of our Uncle George's joke shop – in the corridors, they would come over here and test them on _me_. Instead of waiting for it to happen, it would be wiser to go look for them and make them feel oh, just a little guilty for abandoning me. And even if that was a reason I wasn't willing to admit, I had to find them because I didn't want to arrive at Hogwarts alone. I knew that, as a sixth year, I should have been above all this social nonsense, but I wasn't. This social nonsense had been the core of my existence for the past years : _Rose Weasley the best – or second best – student of Hogwarts, Rose Weasley the prefect in her fifth year, Rose Weasley the perfect girl that all the teachers loved and all the Gryffindors admired_, just couldn't come to Hogwarts without being surrounded by her gang of funny, noisy, cocky cousins.

I slid the door open and I started walking up the corridor. I had only taken a few steps when a horrible exploding sound was heard somewhere in the train, startling me. Disoriented and truly scared, I couldn't make out the source of the explosion – and it kept exploding, over and over. In doubt, covering my hears to shield them from the noise, I decided to run to the front of the train.

I was half running, half turning to check if the explosions weren't coming closer, when I ran into someone who was coming from the opposite direction. Shocked by the collision, I gasped. Everything seemed blurred around me – maybe it was the panic, maybe the smoke coming from the explosions – and I didn't cross my mind to fight the stranger when he grabbed my elbow and pulled me inside the closest compartment.

Once inside, he pinned me to the wall and turned his back to me, looking outside the compartment window, probably to see if the coast was clear. But then I heard him chuckle softly and the blur evaporated : nobody would laugh if there was real danger out there.

I pulled myself together and looked up at my savior. I gasped. I didn't need to see his face to recognize who he was. Tall, thin, a spotless white shirt perfectly cut for his large shoulders, and sleek, unruly hair so blond it looked almost silver in the northern light : Scorpius Malfoy.

I felt my throat tightnen when I recognized him. It was the first time I was seeing him from such a short distance. I could have recognized him in a crowd – he _was_ recognizable in a crowd – but I had never come close to him, physically or even to talk to him, since my father's warning, six years earlier. I felt strangely embarrassed to be in his presence, like a nice little girl caught red-handed disobeing. And I felt slightly ashamed : first time in my life I would actually meet Scorpius Malfoy, and he had caught me running like an idiot away from something that was obviously, to him at least, not dangerous at all. I sat down on the compartment seat, looking at my feet, waiting for him to turn around and talk to me, because I couldn't find anything to say.

He threw a last glance out the window, laughed quietly and finally turned around. My heart almost stopped beating : his pale, light-featured face was unbelievably beautiful, the force with which my heart responded to his grey eyes scared me. But I immediatly calmed down when I saw the shock on his face : he obviously didn't realize who he had tried to protect.

We stared at each other for a few seconds until the shock wore off. An awkward silence settled in the compartment.

'Hi', I managed to say timidely after what seemed ages. My voice was almost inaudible – this was so unlike me, Rose Weasley, strong personality of the Weasley gang.

'Hi', he answered, and I thought I sensed the same emotion in his voice.

'Wha-what happened ? Outside ?' I asked.

'James Potter and Edward Jordan tested their last acquisition from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes', he said. 'The commotion it caused in the new prefects' compartment was simply hilarious in the beginning, but then sparks started to escape the compartment doors and it was safer not to be around.' He chuckled again.

I nodded, not knowing what to say next. My brain had frozen.

He seemed to understand my need for him to keep talking and he added :

'That's why I took you here – I saw that someone was in the corridor, there was so much smoke, I thought it was safer for you to be inside – I didn't know you were-'

He stopped, fearing he had said too much. But I perfectly understood what he was about to say : if he had known I was Rose Weasley, he wouldn't have pulled me inside this compartment and in this very awkward situation – awkward for both of us, I could tell.

I looked up at him, my eyes in his. An amused spark lit his eyes when I said with an obvious half-smile :

'Well, thanks for saving my life… I guess.'

'You're welcome', he laughed, his head tilted to the left, his eyes scrutinizing me. With his ruffled hair falling in his left eye, he looked slightly less impressive – but all the most handsome. He seemed astonished that the world hadn't crumbled down as soon as we had stood together in the same room. To be true, it astonished me a little, too. I only realized now how much I had been influenced by my father's warning. Scorpius had certainly heard the same things about me before entering Hogwarts.

'Well then, see you later', he sighed. I nodded, smiling. He smiled back at me, a smile that reached his eyes, dazzling me. He slid the door open and left.

I sighed, and I noticed I had been holding my breath a little longer than usual. I sat down, looked up, and stared at the ceiling until the train arrived in Hogsmeade. It was all the time I actually needed for my heart to slow down and my brain to clear.

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_So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, mild criticism (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! Next chapter coming soon…_


	3. Listen when I'm silent

_Hi everyone !_

_Next chapter's ready ! Thanks so much __**Avanell**__, __**Rhr4eva**__ and __**Lunaclaw14**__ for the feedback and lovely reviews – and thanks to everyone who added the story to their favs and alerts ! Such an encouragement to write more !_

_The title of the chapters are lyrics from songs I've been listening to while thinking of this story. This is also an tribute to Hyacinthian, one of my favorite fanfic authors here. You can guess which songs they're taken from – I'll dedicate later chapters to you if you find out ;)_

_This is Rose and Scorpius's sixth year at Hogwarts and this chapter is Scorpius's POV. Yay !_

_Disclaimer : as much as I would love to, I own nothing._

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_**"Listen when I'm silent**_

_**There's a sound that only you can hear"**_

After this one and only encounter with Rose Weasley on our first day of school, I didn't have a chance to be alone with her again. Not that my unconscious didn't remind me frequently of how much I wanted to know more about her – I dreamt of her, daydreamt of her so many times that it made me a little nervous whenever I saw her in the corridors at school. Not that I didn't keep feeling awkward about the few minutes we had spent together in the Hogwarts Express : I had never been that close to Rose Weasley before, I had never touched her before, talked to her before. If I ever had, I would have certainly insulted her – after all, that's how Slytherins and Gryffindors communicate, and the fact that she beat me at every other test entitled me to insult her for time to time. But I had never dared say anything to her, let alone provoke her, probably because of the secret fear I had felt when my father had warned me against her.

But this situation changed from the moment she was in front of me in this bloody compartment. Of all the people I could have run into and "_saved"_ that day, it had to be _her_. The shock I had felt when I realized who she was had left me speechless. First of all, I had the feeling I was breaking a rule older than myself. It felt as if my father was looking at me in disapproval. Then, also because I didn't know what to say to this girl, who I had never spoken to despite five years spent in the same school.

And I hated to admit it, but her beauty had simply stunned me – because I hadn't expected her to be so pretty. It felt like she had hit me with the paralysing curse. I had stared stupidly at her long, shiny, red-brown hair ; her skin was pale and freckled, her nose and cheeks sun-kissed by the summer sun. Her eyes twinkled, an expression I couldn't read in them.

I hadn't even managed to be rude to her.

I was almost ashamed of it. True Slytherins don't mind insulting Gryffindor girls. True Slytherins don't find Gryffindor girls attractive…

I shook my head, willing myself to concentrate. I was sitting next to Agnes Hysler in the Potions classroom for our two-hour Advanced Double Potions. I had to stop thinking about Rose Weasley, or it would turn into an obsession. After all, it had just been an awkward moment with a girl I would never see or talk to again. Big deal.

It wasn't as if Gryffindors and Slytherins ever mixed. I would never have to run into her again as long as I avoided the right corridor at the right time. The only moment we would see each other was when we had to endure Potions classes with the rest of our Gryffindor and Slytherin classmates.

These few Potions classes were usually used to humiliate one or more members of the opposite House. Although I had often had a good laugh, I never really liked participating in these sessions of oratorical fight. I was afraid I would be compared to my father, Hogwarts's number one bully twenty-five years ago – and see what he turned out to become later, the youngest Death Eater ever. It was hard to refrain from joining in, though, especially when Slytherins played tricks on James Potter. I always enjoyed it, not because I had anything against the Potters, but because James was such an over-confident, obnoxious prat – in my opinion – because although Agnes never admitted it to me, I was sure she had a slight crush on him since fourth year, the way she flushed every time he crossed her path.

Only today, the Slytherins weren't humiliating _James Potter_.

I noticed all their heads were turned towards a table across the room, on the Gryffindor side. I stretched my neck a little to see what was going on.

Sitting at the same table, Connor O'Riley and Rose Weasley were having a conversation, their heads bent towards each other so that their foreheads almost touched.

Actually, Connor was the one talking animately. All I could make out was the way he avidly bent towards Rose, the way his hands were moving to enhance his arguments, the way he looked at her as if she was a particularly mouthwatering piece of chocolate pudding. Rose wasn't talking much. She was simply looking at him with a polite smile and slightly bewildered eyes.

One of the Slytherins winked caricaturally at his fellow housemates and let out a low wolf-whistle, loud enough for the five tables around him to hear.

Suddenly, something erupted into life inside me. Like a huge, furious octopus, clawing at my stomach with all the strength of its tentacles. I let out a low groan – which surprised me because it sounded like _fury_, not like pain.

I quickly flattened my hands on my stomach, trying to calm the monster down. What on earth _was_ this ? Was I sick ? Was it stomach flu or something ? _Please let it not be stomach flu, this is disgusting and I don't want Rose Weasley to think of me puking my guts out_, I had the time to think, before the octopus let go of my insides a little. Ugh. Maybe it was something I had for breakfast.

Right when I was beginning to breathe again, Rose seemed to laugh at something Connor said, and the monster in my stomach threw a rage again. Every student on the Slytherin side of the classroom was now sporting a malicious smirk. I understood Connor and Rose's conversation was about to start a few unpleasant remarks.

Judy Fycus, a broad-backed, heavy-browed Slytherin girl, was the first one to go :

"Hey, O'Riley ! I know Gryffindors are supposed to have shitty tastes, but isn't hitting on the redhead a little too much ?"

She had kept her voice low enough so that old Professor Slughorn didn't hear her, but loud enough so that Connor and Rose didn't miss a word of what she had just said. They looked up simultaneously, Connor his face red with fury, Rose, her face deadly pale. She was obviously trying to hide the pain the insult had caused her behind a mask of anger.

The blood seemed to withdraw from my face. My fists clenched into balls. I didn't understand my body's reaction. Admittedly, I was human enough to find the insult mean, not funny. But was that enough to cause the octopus to writhe in my stomach every time I saw Connor talk to Rose, or to scream in anger at Fycus when she was just doing what any good Slytherin would do : insult students from opposite houses ?

Before I had time to react to the monster wrecking my insides, the flow of abuse started by Fycus was unstoppable. Muttered insults flew from one side of the classroom to the other, all the Gryffindors now defending their offended housemates. I wondered how long this could go on – Professor Slughorn was a little deaf, sure, but certainly not blind.

"What happened to your hair, Weasley ? A bad fire spell ? Oh no, sorry, that's what happened to _all_ your family !"

"Shut up Fycus, we all know you're half-pig, how dare you insult us humans ?"

"Are you sure you're human, Patil ? The way you smell, I would have bet you were a troll –"

**"STOP IT !"**

Everyone turned around to look at me. It took me a second to realize that these words had just left my mouth. I had said them through gritted teeth, but with such a fury that everybody had heard them as clearly as if I had shouted them. My eyes scanned the classroom, stopped to look at Rose, who was watching me, her jaw dropped, a questioning look on her face.

I felt my cheeks flush a little when I turned menacingly to Judy Fycus and whispered :

"Apologize to Weasley, Fycus."

Judy looked at me, appaled but wary.

"What ?" she hissed.

"You heard me", I growled, "Apologize. To. Weasley."

That's when she noticed my wand pointing at her under the table, ready to jinx her. Frowning, but this time really scared, she turned to Rose and mumbled an apology, making it clear she didn't mean a word of it. Still, it was better than nothing, I thought, and I nodded curtly to acknowledge it when she finished.

And for the rest of the hour, I followed everything Professor Slughorn said, taking meticulous notes, enjoying how quiet the classroom was now. It felt like calm before the storm, though. I knew my fellow Slytherins would never let it go without asking me a few embarassing questions. And Rose, instead of thinking I was a hero, would probably think I'd gone completely nuts. But I had noticed how she kept throwing me furtive, enquiring glances until the end of the class, which made me strangely happy, and seemed to soothe the octopus a little.

_Well, that's good, right ?_ , I thought. _So let's not worry about the meaning of the damn monster in my stomach until later, OK ?..._

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_I had fun writing the "stomach monster" (I always pictured it like a sort of big, angry octopus) part as a reference to Harry's feelings towards Ginny in _The Half-Blood Prince_ – when he can't admit he loves her and this is the way his body expresses these suppressed feelings. This part always makes me laugh in the book, because it makes Harry so vulnerable and human. I love it !_

_So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! Next chapter coming soon…_


	4. Bring peace to my black and empty heart

_Hi everyone !_

_Chapter four's ready ! Sorry for the delay, I had trouble updating my story and had to ask for technical support !_

_Thanks so much __**Avanell**__ and __**Rhr4eva**__ for the lovely reviews – and thanks to everyone who added the story to their favs and alerts ! Such an encouragement to write more._

_The title of the chapters are lyrics from songs I've been listening to while thinking of this story. This is also an tribute to Hyacinthian, one of my favorite fanfic authors here. You can guess which songs they're taken from – I'll dedicate later chapters to you if you find out ;)_

_This is Rose and Scorpius's sixth year at Hogwarts and this chapter is Rose's POV. Go Rose !_

_Disclaimer : as much as I would love to, I own nothing._

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_**" Is he near, is he far ?**_

_**Bring peace to my black and empty heart "**_

"What's up, Rose ?"

My little cousin Lily and my best friend Charlotte Frost sat down on the comfortable couch, by the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room, where I was already slouching. I was so engrossed in _Jane Eyre_, the Muggle book my mum gave me for my last year at Hogwarts, that I didn't even notice the room had emptied, nor that the portrait hole had slid open to make way for the two girls. Their greeting brought me back to reality.

"Hey girls", I said as cheerfully as I could when someone disturbed my reading. I unwillingly put the book down, knowing the griping plot would haunt me until I opened it again. "What's up ?"

"What is up, my dear cousin, is that we've had enough. You can't keep reading love stories like that." Lily said, looking important and slightly amused, as if she was finally reciting a much-rehearsed line.

I frowned. "What's wrong with reading love stories ?"

"What's wrong, is that it is time to stop _reading_ about them, and start _living_ them instead !"

I flushed, lowered my head. "Girls, I don't see what you mean. I'm quite satisfied with the way things are right now."

"Oh, come one, Rose. You've been alone for such a long time… And we know someone who might be interested..." Charlotte added in a sing-song voice, her expression mischievous.

I blushed harder. _Oh my god._ Instinctively, my thoughts rushed to a certain blond Slytherin, who had repeatedly behaved in a totally unusual, yet totally chivalrous way around me lately.

I pulled myself together : Scorpius Malfoy ? _Really ?_ _Come on, Rose, he's so _not_ for you. Admittedly, he's smart, he's a very talented Quidditch Captain – the Slytherin team had beaten the Gryddindor team flat two weeks ago – and he was so… sexy_ – I felt myself blush harder than ever at the thought – _when I watched him laugh with his friends at the Slytherin table, his messy silver-blond hair falling in his grey eyes. But it's not that you're attracted to him, oh no. No. You're just intrigued by his behavior, that's all._

I sighed, not really convinced by my own arguments.

I'd better play along and pretend I was interested in Lily and Charlotte's offer. Who knows, maybe they were talking about _him_… but no, I wasn't even going to _think_ his name.

"Who could be interested in me ?" I asked with a fake ingenuous smile. I knew quite well that many boys would love to go out with me. I was fully aware of the way their eyes followed me when I was walking down the Great Hall, or when I entered a classroom. I was pretty, I was rather popular, I was Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's daughter. And still, all this didn't make me as obnoxious as my cousin James – who I loved despite his slightly overinflated head – was. No wonder people – and boys, for that matter – liked me. But I still wanted to find out who had been reckless enough to go talk about me to my best friend and my cousin – who, obviously, were bound to tell me as soon as they could.

"Who it _is_ ? Oh, that's the best part !" Charlotte giggled excitedly.

"It's a surprise !" Lily clarified, winking at me.

"You'll meet him on our next Hogsmeade weekend !" Charlotte couldn't hold her excitement any longer. She waved at the announcement board across the room, where various sheets were pinned, including the notice about the oncoming Hogsmeade weekend.

"But… it's in _four days _!" I panicked. "And there's no way I'm going on a blind date – it's so tacky" I muttered.

"Too late, we've already set the date with the boy. You can't stand him up Rose. What's he going to think of you ?" scolded Lily, obviously enjoying herself a lot. "Think about it this way : you have four _entire _days to decide what to wear on your hot date ! …"

I sighed again, but in a dramatic way, to make sure Lily and Charlotte got how frustrated I felt. Deep down though, I wasn't mad at them. I was actually a little excited about meeting this mysterious admirer. Who knows, we might get along well. We might end up having a good time. He might help me get Malfoy out of my head ...

In that case, a blind date was a really good idea. Yes indeed.

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_So, what did you think ? Comments, advice, criticism with feedback - and even praise if you feel like it ! - appreciated ! Leave me a little comment and I'll update faster ;))_


	5. Leave 'em burning and then you're gone

_Hi everyone !_

_Chapter five's ready ! This one is short but it's a trigger that will help Rose and Scorpius finally get closer… Thanks so much __**Dobbylover68**__, __**Rhr4eva **__and__** XxRandomxX**__ – err, I guess, that was one weird review, but hey, I kept writing ^^ - __ for the reviews – and thanks to everyone who added the story to their favs and alerts !!_

_So sorry it took me so long to update. I was on a trip back to New York, and I didn't have time to write – although this chapter and the next one are ready. Thanks for sticking with this story, and welcome to the new readers !_

_The title of the chapters are lyrics from songs I've been listening to while thinking of this story. This is also an tribute to Hyacinthian, one of my favorite fanfic authors here. You can guess which songs they're taken from – I'll dedicate later chapters to you if you find out ;)_

_This is Rose and Scorpius's sixth year at Hogwarts and this chapter is Rose's POV. Go Rose !_

_Disclaimer : as much as I would love to, I own nothing._

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**"You're a teaser, you turn them on**

**Leave them burning and then you're gone"**

When you have something to do that you really, really don't want to do, time passes much faster than you'd like.

That's why the four days before my blind date seemed surprisingly short. Thus, on Saturday morning, just before our trip to Hogsmeade, I found myself standing in my pajamas, in front of my trunk, not knowing what to wear for the occasion yet.

"Need some help ?" Charlotte's head tilted from the staircase.

"Yes please," I said, "I'm lost. Come give me some advice – after all, you know the guy better than I do !"

"Mmh, don't be so sure about it." she answered with a clearly mischievous tone that made me prepare for the worst. Did I really know the guy better than she did ? Who could that be ?

Charlotte helped me pick my outfit : jeans and a sort of oversized deep green V-neck jumper that fell on my shoulder in an ingenuous, sexy way. Something very simple, even common, but in the frantic state of excitement I was I hadn't even thought of keeping it simple.

At least, all the stress the blind date had caused me had one good side effect : it had kept any ridiculous thought about Malfoy clear from my tired little brain.

When we came down in the Entrance Hall, Filch was already in front of a long line of students, checking as they walked past him if they were on the list of students allowed to go to Hogsmeade. Charlotte and I stood in line chatting lazily and gave our names to Filch without flinching : our parents had allowed us to go to these trips since our third year, so it was no big deal for us – though stressing third-years out by implying that they might not be allowed out was still really fun.

And then finally we were outside, breathing the fresh October air, on our way to Hogsmeade. Around us, there were third-years over-excited to have made it past the caretaker, seventh-years looking casually blasé, and… couples _literally_ everywhere. I sighed. I had never felt the need to be in a relationship. Unlike so many other girls, I always thought I'd rather be alone than with a boy I only liked a little. I loved my independence, and to be franck, I had never met a boy who made me want to give it up. But when I saw all these people my age walking down to Hogsmeade hand in hand, I wondered if, after all, it wasn't time for me to try a little harder, and settle down like everyone else.

Well, my blind date would be the perfect way to achieve that.

When we arrived in sight of the village, I thought we would stop at Madam Rosmerta's tavern. That's where we hanged out most of the time on our trips to Hogsmeade. But Charlotte took me by the elbow and dragged me a little further down the main street. We walked past Zonko's and then –

"No. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No. NO."

"Oh yes," Charlotte said, laughing at my reaction. "What did you expect ? We said a _date_."

"Yes, but Madam Puddifoot's ? It's so unbelievably cheesy. I'd like to have the possibility to decline the offer if I don't like the guy. But after a date at Madam Puddifoot's, it's going to be impossible ! Being on a date here _implies_ starting something serious – and much too mushy for me…"

"Who told you you'll want to decline his offer ? You'll see, you'll like him ! You're going to have so many things to talk about, you'll even forget where you are !"

_Grmmh._

"Fine. How am I supposed to know who he is?"

"He's the one sitting alone at a table. Guess which one?" Charlotte wincked.

I'd forgot that Madam Puddifoot decorated each table with different flowers. Oh no, of course I knew which one it was.

"The one with the bouquet of roses." I sighed again. When would people get that I hated those flowers ?

"Come on, get in, he's waited for you long enough !" Charlotte pushed me inside. I threw her a murderous glance, but she simply waved at me cheerfully, and I walked a few steps inside, closing the door behind me.

Inside, the teashop was outrageously pink, decorated with little paper hearts, little flower bouquets, and little pink boxes of sugar on each table. It was too hot there, and it smelled like too-sweet, too-coconutty pastries. I made a face. All the girls loved this place, they all found it incredibly romantic. I thought of Jane Eyre, of the wilderness of the rain-battered English moors. _That_ was romantic. This candybox-shaped teashop was not romantic.

I looked around for a boy sitting alone at a table, with Charlotte's description in mind. If I really had to endure it, at least get over with it as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, my heart stopped. I had just spotted him in the middle of the room. _**Scorpius Malfoy**. _Sitting there. Certainly waiting for someone…

Oh no. A huge wave of excitement and terror paralyzed me. Did Lily and Charlotte really know me that well ? So as to be capable of guessing the thoughts I fought so hard to suppress ?

As I was taking a step towards his table, hypnotized, my heart stopped again. Opposite Malfoy, at the same table, came and sat Daphny Lebrun, a Slytherin girl with long, dull blonde hair, who I had seen a couple times in the corridors. She was bending towards him as much as she could and she seemed clearly overwhelmed with joy by her luck. As for Malfoy, he smiled politely to her logorrhea, but his absent-minded face looked slightly bored. At least that's what I wanted to believe, while I walked away from his table, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. He wasn't there for me. He was there for another girl. _What did you think, Rose? Get over it!_

I looked up once again and I saw him. My blind date. Sitting at a table in the back of the room, behind the bouquet of cute pink little roses, a huge smile on his pink face, Connor O'Riley was waving at me.

OK. Lily and Charlotte definitely couldn't guess my wildest thoughts. Actually, they couldn't have guessed worse. Connor had been stalking me for ages, sitting next to me at every class, trying to impress me at every Quidditch match, and I had tried to avoid him as much as I could avoid a Gryffindor in my year. Don't get me wrong. Connor was cute, charming – to a point – but he was so boring, and he had the bad habit of taking every polite smile I gave him as an invitation to flirt. Since I wasn't in a hurry to ask him out, apparently, he must had asked my closest friends for help – and the girls, delighted at the idea of me finally going out with somebody, booked him for a date with me.

I threw a last desperate glance towards Malfoy and sighed. This was going to be the longest afternoon _ever_.

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_So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! Next chapter coming soon…and I promess, more action in the next one !_


	6. Like getting caught in the rain

_Hi everyone !_

_Next chapter's ready ! Thanks so much __**Avanell**__, __**xWaytoomuchsugarx**__, __**Yellow 14**__, __**-LittleMissMel-**__ and __**Rhr4eva**__ for the feedback and lovely reviews – and thanks to everyone who added the story to their favs and alerts ! Makes me want to write more !_

_The title of the chapters are lyrics from songs I've been listening to while thinking of this story. This is also an tribute to Hyacinthian, one of my favorite fanfic authors here. You can guess which songs they're taken from – I'll dedicate later chapters to you if you find out ;)_

_This is Rose and Scorpius's sixth year at Hogwarts and this chapter is Scorpius's POV. Yay !_

_Disclaimer : I'd be very rich (and probably too busy to write fanfic) if I owned HP or any of the songs mentioned here. So, you guessed right, I own nothing._

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**"I must confess it can be good to feel pain**

**Like breaking waves or getting caught in the rain"**

I was standing outside Madam Puddifoot's teashop, hands in my pocket, shivering a little in the october cold. I had gone outside after telling Daphny that I just needed some fresh air and that I would be back soon. Actually, once I stepped outside, I realized I didn't need fresh air – I just needed a reason to get out of there as fast as I could. And now I really didn't know what to do next. If I disappeared without letting her know, Daphny would be terribly offended. If I came back there, I would probably end up stuck in a relationship I didn't want – because it was clearly what Daphny wanted and she would do anything to make it work.

All this, thanks to my wonderful friends. Leo Zabini had decided to find me a girlfriend. He said he was bored watching all these girls turning their heads around when I walked past them and waving at me with half-stupid smiles, without me ever acting on it. To be true, I had never noticed the interest girls had in me before Leo told me about it. Guess I was busy being interested in someone else… And that's why he set me up with Daphny.

I could see how Leo would think Daphny and I could be a good match. She was a Slytherin, she was a pure-blood – not that I cared, and I wondered how Leo could still think this mattered to me, after all these years knowing each other – and she was pretty, in a way. She was pretty but not beautiful. She was really nice, but so dull, so commom, so…unlike Rose Weasley. OK, I had thought it. _Rose Weasley_. I had been thinking about the meaning of the octopus in my stomach* – the thing that writhed in my insides everytime I thought about Rose, that got angry everytime a boy talked to her, that purred everytime we smiled at each other when we met in the corridors. I had finally admitted it to myself, altough it had been tough : I fancied Rose Weasley. I couldn't tell anybody, or even dream of acting on this crush, because Rose Weasley was certainly the worst match that could possibly be for me. My father had told me so on my very first day at Hogwarts. I couldn't begin to understand how this could have happened to me. But it was a fact : the octopus was inside me, and I had to find a way to get rid of it. And if I couldn't do it with Rose, I could at least try and get over it with Daphny. It didn't make me feel good about myself, actually it made me feel like a real prat. But it was worth trying if it could cure me from my embarassing feelings.

While I was outside thinking all this, it started to rain. Suddenly I felt very small, and totally lost. Maybe it was a better idea to get back in, and never allow myself to think about Rose Weasley again.

I was about to push the door open and go back upstairs and pretend I was interested in Daphny's conversation, when the door burst open and someone came outside half-running and looking totally desperate. It took me a second to focus after the shock, before I realized I was face to face with her. I mean _Her_. _The_ girl I was torturing myself about.

She was slightly panting, as if she had run to get out, and the falling rain started to stick her long red hair to her translucent face. Once again, her beauty left me breathless and speechless for a moment. Maybe I was the only one to react like this to her good looks, but each time my reaction was so strong it made me wonder if anybody else ever noticed how pretty she was. I couldn't believe she was there, as if my thinking of her had brought her here, well, _magically_. Her brown eyes sparkled with surprise when she saw me. Her lips were slightly parted and I could almost feel her breath on me. The smell of her hair seemed to intoxicate me, and…

With a quick gesture, she moved away from me and leaned against the teashop wall a few feet from me. She looked slightly scared – was she scared of me, or of what she had just done, I couldn't figure it out. Even so, her eyes were on me all the time. She reminded me of a hunted doe, and, instinctively, I felt like talking to her, reassure her, make her laugh.

"Bad date ?" I asked jokingly.

"How did you guess ?" she answered, rolling her eyes, but her upper lip curled in a small smile.

"I just had one a few minutes ago, and did the exact same thing", I explained. "I just thought the same thing happened to you."

"Oh," she simply said, but I noticed her shoulders relax.

We both looked away for a moment.

"So," I said, willing to break the silence, but also to have a real conversation with her, finally. "What are your plans now ?" My question sounded immediately stupid to me, considering the pouring rain and the bad date.

"Well, I'm not going to go back inside Madam Puddifoot's, obviously, after my glorious exit," she said. "So… I don't know yet. I'll walk back to Hogwarts to study in the library, I guess. And try never to run into Connor O'Riley again," she added with a half-guilty, half-mischievous look that made me burst into laughing.

"Do you mind if I walk you back ?" I asked tentatively, still laughing. "I'm not going to go back there either…obviously, and I could use a little reading in the library too."

Her eyes opened wide with surprise, as if she expected any answer other than this one.

"Oh, no problem then," she said. "It will be a pleasure," she added, blushing a little. The octopus in my stomach purred stronger than anytime before. "Anyway, look at me," she pointed her soaked hair, "they'll never let me get in another shop now, I'll drip water all over." I didn't immediately get what she was implying, because even soaked with water and shaking with cold she seemed perfect to me.

"Oh, well, I'm not much better than you, you know," I said, pointing my own hair, stuck in my eyes, dripping rain in my face.

Her eyes sparkled, and we both laughed at our ridiculous looks. Despite the cold, I felt my insides burn with a warmth I had never experienced. I suddenly realized I felt happier than I'd been in a long time, and it scared me a bit.

But _what the hell_, I was with Rose Weasley, I was making her laugh, and she had just agreed to walk back to Hogwarts with me in the rain. And all this was totally worth being a little scared, right ?

* See Chapter 3 ;)

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_So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! Next chapter coming soon…_


	7. Two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl

_Hi everyone !_

_Next chapter's ready ! Thanks so much __**Avanell**__, __**XxRandomxX**__, __**mimimi213**__, __**Yellow 14**__, __**-LittleMissMel-**__ and __**Rhr4eva**__ for the feedback and lovely reviews – and thanks to everyone who added the story to their favs and alerts ! _

_This is Rose and Scorpius's sixth year at Hogwarts and this chapter is Scorpius's POV. Rose and Scorpius finally get in touch with each other – sorry if some of you find it too slow, but hey, that's how it works in real life ;) You don't end up kissing the person you like _before_ the 1st date ! Haha ____ I hope you'll like this chapter though…_

_Disclaimer : I'd be very rich (and probably too busy to write fanfic) if I owned HP or any of the songs mentioned here. So, you guessed right, I own nothing._

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**"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl**

**Year after year."**

After I offered Rose to walk back to Hogwarts with her, we stayed face to face for a second, not really knowing what to do next. Rose seemed undecided, as if she was afraid to initiate the walk herself. So, in a gesture that came to me intuitively – because, if I really had stopped and thought about it, I would have never dared do it – I put my hand on her shoulder and encouraged her to follow me. Her deep green jumper was soaked with rain, and I felt her shiver – maybe because of the cold, or maybe because of my touch – I didn't pause to think about it either.

I took off my vest, which was just as soaked as any of our clothes, and put in on her shoulders. I knew the vest would fail to warm her up, but I liked the gesture. I just hoped she wouldn't mind the _cliché_ of it as much as I did right now. But instead of looking shocked, or disappointed, or offended, she threw me a look of surprise that quickly changed into one of gratitude. "Thanks," she said, smiling one of her wide, beautiful smiles than made my insides turn upside down – in a good way, though. "You're welcome," I simply answered, shrugging, trying to look cooler than I had behaved.

We walked for a few minutes under the pouring rain. We didn't speak, but I still felt oddly comfortable with her. I had fantasized about the moment we would finally be alone together, and in every dream I had about it, subjects of conversation were so hard to find it felt like torture just to sit next to her. And here we finally were, walking side by side, the only living souls in this deserted landscape, and we weren't saying anything, and _it felt OK_. I enjoyed the moment, despite my heart beating so hard I actually feared for my ribs. Finally alone with her, the forbidden girl, the mysterious girl, the girl who made me want not to think about anything else but her. Together, walking along this landscape so green, so wild, so -

"Have you read _Jane Eyre_ ?" Rose said, interrupting the silence and my thoughts. I was so surprised to hear her speak first that I didn't even understand her question.

"Sorry – what did you say ?"

"_Jane Eyre_. Read it ? It's a Muggle book. The landscape here reminds me of it. Sort of really wild, green, remote. I'm reading it these days. Actually, I'm reading it for the third time since the beginning of the year."

"Oh. Waoh. A Muggle book. I – I never had the opportunity to read it, you know, everybody home is a wizard. I grew up in a one hundred per cent wizarding environment. There are no Muggles – no Muggle-borns even – in my family."

"Wow." She sounded astonished, but in a bad way.

_Ok, here came the story of my family, before I even had the chance to talk to Rose more than three minutes._ She had probably forgotten I was a Malfoy, and it had all come back to her in a flash – and it was going to scare her off. _What did you think, Scorpius ? How long did your little mascarade would last, huh ? Now she was going to look at you as if you were a disgusting piece of –_

"It's not that big a deal, really." Rose said, interrupting my frantic thoughts again. I could see something made her a little sad, a thought that she had concealed before but that she was now forced to consider. It was as if she was trying to comfort herself, more than trying to comfort me. "Everyone has a background, you know," she added. "All backgrounds are different, and it doesn't keep people from being friends."

I startled at the word "friends". Did that mean we could be _friends_ ? It felt like the best day of my life. But a pain in my stomach reminded me that things were much more complicated, and that I'd better be honest with her.

"Yes, different people _can_ be friends – but, let's face it, no family is more different from the Malfoys than the Weasleys."

"Maybe. Maybe our backgrounds are as different as they can possibly be. But if you had read _Jane Eyre_, you would know that despite very different backgrounds, two people can be very similar, and be friends, and even be –"

She stopped talking, as if she was afraid she'd said too much. I looked at her questioningly, but she was already looking elsewhere, lips tight.

I decided to try and solve the end of her sentence.

"Could you lend me the book then, so I can read it too?"

She turned her head to me, pleasantly surprised.

"Of course I can! What about meeting each other in the library, tomorrow after class? I will finish reading it and give it to you then."

"It's a date," I said, smiling, hoping she would get the reference to our bad dates today.

"Oops," she said. "Talking about dates, ours must be furious now." She paused, thinking. "Oh well, at least Connor will get the message now." She smiled mischievously to herself.

"As for me, the Malfoy family would disown me if they find out I'm about to read a Muggle book. So, one more person hating me is really no big deal."

We laughed together as the rain fell thinner and thinner. By the time we reached Hogwarts, the sun was shining again.

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_So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! Next update by November 1st !_


	8. Do I attract you, do I repulse you?

_Hi everyone !_

_Next chapter's ready ! Thanks so much __**XxRandomxX**__, __**mimimi213**__, __**Yellow 14**__, __**. **__and __**Rhr4eva**__ for the so _lovely reviews_ – and thanks to everyone who added the story to their favs and alerts !_

_This is Rose and Scorpius's sixth year at Hogwarts and this chapter is Rose's POV. I wrote this one really fast because I was so happy you liked chapter 7 and I wanted to give you more ^^ (also, I'm inspired by what comes next and I want to get there faster !) So I hope my grammar isn't too bad :)_

_Disclaimer : I'd be very rich (and probably too busy to write fanfic) if I owned HP or any of the songs mentioned here. So, you guessed right, I own nothing_

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**"Do I attract you, do I repulse you**

**With my queasy smile"**

The morning after, I woke up not remembering clearly what had happened in Hogsmeade. Everything was hazy, as if it was a dream, impossible to be true. I vaguely remembered the trip to the village. I remembered feeling a lot of various, strong emotions. I remembered coming back to Hogwarts soaked with rain, I remembered running to my room to put on dry clothes, and going back to the library where I studied until Madam Pince threw me out. But I couldn't remember who it had all happened with.

I rolled in my bed, face up, and slowly opened my eyes to get them used to the light. The morning sun against the red velvet curtains of my four-poster bed felt warm and soft. It was going to be a beautiful day. It was Monday, and I felt happy, happy to be free all morning, with no classes until the afternoon, nothing to do except remember my memories of yesterday.

"WAKE UP!"

Charlotte drew the curtain open, floading my bed with sunlight. Next to her stood Lily, arms crossed, looking furious. I sat up, palms on my eyes, groaning.

"Aow girls, do you want me to go blind? What's going on? Classes start this afternoon, for Merlin's sake. Can't a girl just get some sleep?"

"You'll sleep when you explain what happened yesterday," hissed Charlotte.

"If we decide to ever let you sleep again," added Lily threateningly.

"What?" I moaned, "I just went to your blind date, I never said I had an obligation to _like_ the guy. We just talked a little, there was no spark, we ended it on this, that's all."

"_That's all ?"_ Lily almost yelled. "You've got to be joking, Rose."

"No I'm not ! What do you think happened ?"

"What happened, missy," Charlotte bent over me, her finger pointed at me like a wand, "is that you left Connor O'Riley after ten minutes of small talk and ran away without even letting him know !"

"Poor thing stayed there for almost fourty minutes before getting the message. That's all everybody could talk about yesterday."

"At least he didn't go to this date for nothing. Apparently, Daphny Lebrun had a blind date who stood her up too."

"Yeah, like we didn't know Scorpius Malfoy was a total git," Lily grumbled scornfully.

At the sound of Scorpius's name, everything that had happened yesterday came back to me in a flash. Oh. My. God. I felt so embarassed. Especially when I felt my face turn crimson. I wished the girls would mistake it with the reflection of the red curtains on my cheeks.

Fortunately, they were too busy fuming to notice anything. Charlotte kept talking :

"… and Connor and Daphny ended up talking – and I hear they had quite a good time together. Too bad for you, Rose, you could have had a partner for the Christmas Ball. You know the boys ask the girls out, and now Connor will never ask _you_."

"Huh, yeah - he'll ask Daphny, that's for sure." Lily scorned again.

I sighed. I was happy for Connor, he was a good guy, even if he wasn't my type. So, he could go to the Ball with Daphny, or whoever he wanted, I really didn't care.

"So, what did you do yesterday, after leaving Connor like that?" asked Lily.

"OH!"

Again, I had a flash from yesterday. _Shoot, I'm supposed to meet Scorpius at the library after class to give him _Jane Eyre _! I'm not ready, I don't know what to wear, I'm ugly… Oh, stop it, it's not a date, we're just friends !_

Whatever, I wasn't going out like this, even to meet a friend. No time to lose. I jumped out of my bed, bumped into Charlotte and Lily, ran to my trunk, picked a gray dress and a pair of boots and rushed down the staircase to the bathroom. Behind me, I could picture the bewildered glances the girls exchanged.

***

After what felt like a century and a half of classes – actually, it was only three hours, but I felt like I was dying on my chair – I finally went to the library. I held _Jane Eyre_ in my hands, and, when I reached to open the library door, the book slipped from my other hand and fell down. I realized my hands were really sweaty. Holding them up to my face, I saw they were also trembling a little. My heart was beating faster than ever. A thousand questions rushed through my mind : _how was I going to give him the book without looking totally awkward ? Would I find witty things to say ? Would I make him laugh ? Would he still want to be friends ?_

I shouted in my head to make all the questions shut up. I steadied myself, breathed in and out, and pushed the door open.

The library was bathed in the late afternoon sunlight. The rows of books, warmed up by the sun, smelled like leather and crispy paper. The room was almost empty, but I spotted Scorpius's blond hair. He was sitting in the back, alone at a table by the window, reading a book. His ruffled hair looked silver in the warm light. The scene was so peaceful that I couldn't help but feel calmer, more relaxed.

I walked a few steps along the rows of books. In the silence of the library, my footsteps rang like bells – or so it felt like. At the sound of them, Scorpius looked up. Instantly, he smiled at me and my heart lept frantically in my chest. _God, he's so beautiful_. This thought made me wistful : were friends supposed to find each other attractive ? Pushing away the thought, I forced a smile on my face and sat next to him. It felt strange to be so close to him, almost able to touch him. Despite my stress, I felt genuinely happy.

"Hi," he said, still smiling. "I was reading the chapter on bezoars in our Potions book. It's really interesting, I wonder why they don't make us carry one with us at all times."

"I totally agree. You know, my father was saved from poisoning thanks to one of these little stones. Should be mandatory to have one, don't you think?"

"Wow." He looked impressed. "Our lives seem so quiet, compared to what our parents went through at our age."

"Well, my uncle Harry says it always sounds cooler than it was. I guess it wasn't easy not to have a normal life."

I was happy we had things to say to each other. Slowly I felt more comfortable, and I almost forgot where and who I was sitting with.

"Did you have time to finish your book ?" Scorpius asked, noticing _Jane Eyre_ in my left hand.

"No, but it's OK. I've already read it twice before."

"Sure, but I still don't like to leave a book in the middle. I thought you'd have the same insane habits books as I have when it comes to books."

"What makes you think that ?"

"Well, I noticed how much you take care of your schoolbooks when you take them out of your bag in Potions. It's like they're precious, breakable. I only guessed you'd care even more for a personal book."

"You're right," I admitted, blushing slightly. "But lending you this book, knowing you're going to read it, it just makes me really happy. That way, we'll share something that others won't."

I stopped, praying my blush would not extend to my entire face and neck. It felt both embarassing and good to have shared something as personal – for me anyway – as my relationship with books. Finally I had met someone as crazy about books as I was.

"What do you do next ?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing in particular. I'll probably stay here, try to finish my Ancient Runes essay, and then study until I drop dead – that means, until the Christmas holidays."

Christmas. Another flash (these had to stop, by the way, I was getting tired) : the Christmas Ball. And now I had only one question in mind : _Scorpius, would you go to the Christmas Ball with me ?_ Oh, but it was a stupid question, for three reasons : One, it was outside context. Two, _girls_ were not supposed to ask _boys_ out. Three, he would never go with me.

So I asked another question instead.

"What about you ?"

"I'm going to stay here and study too, if you don't mind the company. And…I'll try to give you your book back before Christmas."

A shiver went down my spine. Was he refering to what would take place just before Christmas ? Oh, God no, it was too far-fetched. I was so stupid. Scorpius and I were friends, just _friends_.

So I sat next to him until the library closed – and even the fact that we laughed and talked instead of studying didn't manage to lift my spirits. Scorpius and I were friends, though I had to admit it was better than nothing, and I had been foolish to even wish for more. _Just friends_.

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_So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! Next chapter coming soon…_


	9. The only time I feel alright

_Hello everyone !!_

_Thanks soooo much to my lovely reviewers, **Chocolatelover68**, **yellow 14**, **Callmedaynuhh**, **Rhr4eva** and **-LittleMissMel-**, and to all of you who read this story, add it to your alerts or to your favs ! Keep reviewing, it means so much and you know it !_

_And also, so sorry for the wait. To my credit, this is a longer chapter, and it was kinda hard to write. You'll get to learn more about Scorpius this time (so, this is his POV this time). And the Christmas Ball is only a week away… But no, I won't give spoilers to my own story ^^_

_**Disclaimer : I once was JK Rowling, and then I woke up.**_

_Oh, and the songs I quote in the chapters' titles are not mine eithe_r.

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**"The only time I feel alright is by your side**

**Girl I want to be with you all day and all of the night"**

I could trace back my friendship with Rose Weasley to the afternoon we spent in the library after she gave me _Jane Eyre_. We had such a good time we didn't even pretend to be studying. We'd mostly talked about Hogwarts, our professors, people we knew, but I could already feel the kind of intimacy one only has with his best friends.

If, of course, best friends sent butterflies flying in your stomach.

Rose and I started to hang out together as often as we could. We would meet in the corridors between classes and talk about how boring History of Magic was. We would sit together in Potions and screw up our batch of Drought of the Living Dead because we were too engrossed in our conversation. We would say hello to each other across the Great Hall at lunchtimes.

I could tell people were intrigued. A Weasley and a Malfoy being even cordial to each other was indeed unheard of. Rumors had probably already started about us. And I didn't care that much, to be honest. Neither did Rose, because she didn't seem to mind the few bitter glares that followed her from the Gryffindor table, or greeted her at the Slytherin table, everytime she came over to say hello to me.

The only problem was, those rumors had it wrong. I couldn't imagine being more than friends with Rose. She obviously liked me as a friend, and I felt happy enough with this situation. To tell the truth, I felt petrified at the thought of asking her out or something. Not that I hadn't done it before. I was actually pretty good at asking girls out. The thing was, either the girls didn't say no to me, or I had nothing to lose if they did. With Rose, I had so much to lose. And if I asked her out she would say no, of course, and then our friendship would be ruined and I'd never smell her flowery scent again.

Instead, I enjoyed every moment with her. I always tried to look cool and aloof when she was around, even tried to smirk like my father, just so she didn't suspect the internal battle raging in my head. But after a while, I always ended up relaxing and being my true self. I'd forget to smirk, and I'd laugh at her jokes like some idiot in love.

Which, by now, you would have guessed I was.

But I tried so hard not to show this emotional turmoil that even my best friends, Leopold Zabini and Agnes Hysler, didn't seem to suspect anything.

My friendship with Rose kept me so busy that I didn't notice at first the way all my classmates grew steadily restless as November came to an end. Only when Lisa Kumin, a fifth year Hufflepuff, burst into tears in the middle of dinner and ran out of the Great Hall sobbing desperatly, did I turn to Leopold and asked :

"Uh, what's going on exactly ?"

"Nervous breakdown. Lisa had been waiting for two weeks for Mark Huttington, the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, to ask her to go to the Christmas Ball with her, and he just asked Nina Chow," explained Leo.

"Huttington is an annoying dungball anyway," spoke Agnes nonchalantly. "And so is Kumin, so who cares what dramas spice up their boring little lives ?"

Agnes had now nothing to do with the shy little thing she was when I first met her in the Hogwarts Express. She had grown to be a beautiful black-haired girl, over-confident and with a very cynical sense of humor. I loved how she made fun of who people expected her to be – an arrogant pure-blood Slytherin – by being a caricature of an arrogant pure-blood Slytherin most of the time.

"Why," Leo teased her, "don't you worry about not being asked out for the Ball ?"

"Oh no, honey, I know you will ask me," Agnes replied, winking at him.

"Sure you do," laughed Leo, and they high-fived. "In that case, promise me you'll wear that strappy red dress you ordered from Witch Weekly last month. Otherwise, consider our alliance broken."

"Leo, you disgusting pig. You know you'll have to wear a very sexy tux to make it up to me."

I was listening to my two best friends being so cool about the Ball – also wondering how come they weren't together yet, because they were just perfect for each other – and sighed. If only things could be that simple for me too. How could I have been so dumb as to forget about the Christmas Ball, a tradition Professor McGonagall had instaured when she became Headmistress ? And how could I have forgotten to ask Rose Weasley to go to the Ball with me ?

I tried to erase a desperate look off my face.

"What about you, Scorp ?" Leo playfully elbowed me in the ribs. "Any idea who you're going to go with?"

I winced. I had so dearly hoped they wouldn't ask me.

"Uh – not yet. I'll think about it." I mumbled unconvincingly, pretending to be very interested in a piece of roast chicken in my plate. From the corner of my eye, I saw Leo and Agnes exchange a knowing look.

"Scorp," Agnes said, touching my hand lightly.

"We know, man," Leo clarified.

My insides froze. _Be cool, Scorp, be cool._

"What do you know ?" My tone was almost bored, but I didn't dare look them in the eye.

"Come on, it's so obvious !" Agnes burst. "You, and the Weasley girl!"

"Yeah, why don't you ask her to go with you already?"

I felt my face turn red, then chalk white, then red again.

"Wh-what ? Why would you think that ?"

"Because, and I mean it in the nicest way possible," Agnes said, "you never looked as idiot as when you're with her."

"Yeah," Leo added, "it's like you're so stupid happy you're almost drooling."

"And when she doesn't show up for dinner because she's still studying in the library, you look like someone who's having a bad stomach flu _and_ being stabbed in the back at the same time."

I threw my friends a desperate glance. I thought I had fooled them all this time, but they could actually read me so well. I felt really touched by this unconditional proof of friendship, but chose to hide this feeling by playing it cool again.

"Alright, I sort of like her" I admitted. "She's hot," I added. _Eurgh_. This was so low. I felt ashamed of myself.

And it was all in vain because I didn't manage to fool Leo and Agnes, who respectively rolled their eyes and flicked me on the forehead.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, stop acting like a jerk !" hissed Agnes. "If you only thought she was hot, you wouldn't look like the only time you feel good is by her side."

"So why don't you be a Malfoy about it and ask her to come to the Ball with you?"

_Ok, time to get real, apparently._

"I can't." I admitted. "I think she only wants to be my friend, and I don't want to spoil it."

Agnes laughed. "Trust me, if _she_ only wants to be your friend, _I_ am the Queen of England."

"Couldn't have put it better," Leo said, clapping Agnes's back. She laughed harder.

"How can I be sure ?" I complained.

"The only way to be sure is to ask her. If she says yes, you're on the right track pal," advised Agnes.

"And also, if you could just stop whining, it would help a great deal," Leo concluded, returning to his food.

I sighed, looking at the Gryffindor table accross the Hall. Rose was laughing among what looked like two dozens red-haired cousins to me. My friends were right. I had to take the risk and ask Rose to go to the Ball with me. Because anyway, it was boys' choice, and that meant I couldn't expect Rose to make the first move. And hell, Leo was right : I was a Malfoy, for Merlin's sake. We might not be brave, or admired, or heroic – and I had to admitt the arrogant prat gene sure ran in the family. But asking girls out, _that_, we were good at.

***

Easier said than done, of course.

It seemed there was never a good time to talk to her about this. The first time I tried, we were in Potions, and Professor Slughorn just happened to look up and see me talking – or rather, attempting to talk – to Rose. He gave us both detention, and Rose looked too mad at me after that to consider asking her about anything remontely related to dancing.

The next time, we were in detention in Slughorn's office, and I tried to write her a note without him noticing. And because sometimes I can't believe my own bad luck, he saw me writing frantically the first words of the note, swept by my desk and pull the tiny piece of paper away from me. He read out loud : "Rose, would you like to go to the ba-" while I was blushing furiously and Rose was throwing me a quizzical glance. "NO, MR MALFOY, I DON'T THINK MISS WEASLEY WOULD LIKE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!" boomed Slughorn, and frankly I didn't know if I was relieved or deadly ashamed that he hadn't gotten the meaning of my note right. The worst part was I got another detention and Rose tried to fight back a nervous laughter for the rest of the hour.

The last time I tried, she was waiting in line outside her Ancient Runes class, and Margo Blattman, a bushy-haired Ravenclaw, thought I was about to ask _her_ to the Ball. The incident was followed by loads of embarassment for me – and for Margo – and by Rose howling with laughter until Professor Jesper got in the classroom and disapprovingly motioned her inside.

At least I had made her laugh two out of three times.

Thus, one week from the Ball, when everyone had already chosen a dancing partner and when the constantly falling snow had given Hogwarts its usual Christmas blanket, I slumped down on the big green velvet couch in the Slytherin Commom Room between Leopold and Agnes, who looked at me with concern.

"I can't do it," I moaned. "I know I promised not to whine but Merlin, something always gets in the way – Potions Professors, stupid Ravenclaws, Potions Professors… Besides, someone must have outsmarted me by this time and asked Rose out eons ago."

Both Leo and Agnes slapped me on the head.

"Damn you, Malfoy !" Agnes looked pissed, but a twinkle in her eye informed me she was amused by the situation. "I asked Cathy Closs today, who asked Ronda Wineman, who asked Penelope Boutrakos, who asked Charlotte Frost. She hasn't have a date yet. Now stop forcing me to act like a gossip queen and go for it !"

"How come nobody asked her yet?" The idea of other boys not finding Rose as attractive as I did seemed outrageous.

"I never said _nobody asked her_. I said _she doesn't have a date_. Apparently, she's been asked out by two Gryffindors, three Ravenclaws and one Hufflepuff – I even think some seventh year Slytherins were contemplating the idea – and she politely declined their offers each time."

"Which means either she likes girls…" Leo winked,

"…or, she's just waiting for you, Scorp." Agnes bored her eyes into mine while saying this, watching the excitement rise in my eyes as hope returned to me. I couldn't help but laugh with relief.

"You've got a point, Agnes," I admitted, still laughing.

"I always do, my friend, I always do." she said smugly.

"So, now all you have to do is ask Weasley to go to the Ball with you the next time you see her."

I swallowed hard. _So this is it. No more excuses. I have to do it_. Chills went down my spine and my hands felt cold and numb when I said : "Deal."

***

I had the opportunity sooner than I expected. Sunday morning anxiety woke me up far too early for a Slytherin – Slytherins are supposed to sleep in on Sundays, just to show their contempt for rules they didn't make – and I decided to go send a letter home. I put on warm clothes, silver and green gloves and scarf, and I climbed outside the Slytherin portait hole and up to the owlery.

I hadn't written to my parents for a while. Everytime I didn't feel confident about myself – which, believe it or not, happened more often than I let it show – I sent them a letter. I never wrote about my fears or doubts, I just wrote about my everyday life at Hogwarts, and these letters always had a soothing effect, as if they allowed me to see the bigger picture instead of focus on my little problems.

This time, I didn't write anything about my wanting to invite Rose Weasley to the Christmas Ball – I didn't want this letter to be the last one I'd sent home – I simply wrote about how much I looked forward to seeing them at Christmas. Although, with my new friendship with Rose, I wasn't as eager to leave Hogwarts for the holidays as I was the previous years.

I called my owl, Athos, who flew down the top of the owlery tower and perched on my shoulder. He nipped my cheek enthusiastically in greeting. Athos belonged to my father before he gave him to me, but I always felt like the beautiful russet owl preferred me. I sat with him on the windowsill and started tying the rolled-up parchement to his foot.

I was gently stroking Athos's head when I sensed someone had just stepped in the owlery.

I looked up and froze when I saw Rose Weasley.

Her eyes were wide with surprise and I was sure my expression mirrored hers at that moment. None of us expected to find someone else here, so early on a freezing Sunday morning.

She looked so adorable in her winter robes, all snuggled up in a huge woolen scarf and a matching hat that allowed rivers of fiery red hair to escape on her shoulders that I couldn't help but smile at her. She shyly smiled back and pipped an "Hello" that let out a cloud of condensed breath off her mouth. Her very pink, full, kissable mouth.

The sound of her voice suddenly reminded me of my task : ask her to go to the Ball with me. My heartbeat accelerated dangerously at the though. I had to do it.

Rose walked in the middle of the owlery and called her owl, Aramis, a beautiful little bird covered in black, shiny feathers. She stroke the bird's wings lovingly, murmuring sweet nothings while doing so. Then she pulled out a roll of parchement from her pocket and began tying it to the owl's leg.

She looked up at me, a big smile on her face. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were deliciously pink from the cold.

It was such a blissful moment. Such a beautiful morning. Everything around us was white, peaceful, bathed in a comfortable silence that none of us wished to break.

And I had to ruin it all by asking my stupid question. _Now_.

"RosewouldyouliketogototheChristmasBallwithme ?" I blurted out in one breath before I could even think of the most appropriate way to bring the topic in the conversation.

I watched her face anxiously as it went blank for a second, which seemed an eternity to me. Maybe she hadn't understood what I had said and I'd have to repeat it. I felt a strong need to hyperventilate, although I knew it probably wasn't the most enticing thing to do in front of her right now. A thousand thoughts rushed through my brain, mainly going like this : _Oh dear Merlin what have I done ?_

And then a huge smile lit up her face, her eyes sparkled, she breathed in so deeply her chest rose, she opened her mouth and-

"Yes."

I couldn't believe my ears. I couldn't believe such a simple, beautiful word existed.

And before I had the time to take in what she had just said, she walked out of the owlery, a satisfied smile on her face, and I just had a second to catch my breath before losing it again : I had done it. She had said _yes_. I was ecstatic.

_Now_ was the good time to hyperventilate.

* * *

PS : the scene in the owlery was inspired by the same scene in _Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire_ (which I loved both in the book and in the movie), when Harry asks Cho to go to the Yule Ball with him. But in my story the end is happier for Scorpius heehee...

_So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! Please press the Review button and…_

_Next chapter coming soon !_


	10. You're toxic I'm slipping under

_Hello everyone !!_

_I'd like to thank all my **adorable** reviewers, _**_Chocolatelover68_**_, _**_yellow 14_**_, _**_Callmedaynuhh_**_, _**_Rhr4eva_**_,_**_XxrandomxX_**_, _**_FameUpdahyaya_**_ and _**_-LittleMissMel_**_- for being so honest and helpful and for cheering me on ^^ Also thanks to all of you who read this story, add it to your alerts or to your favs !_

_Keep reviewing – not only do your reviews make my day, they actually mean very much to me and encourage me to keep writing !_

_**A/N **: unbetaed, sorry. You'd have to wait a little more for the betaed version ^_

_**Disclaimer** : Come on, I could never write something as perfect as Harry Potter. Therefore I'm not JKR and I don't own anything._

_Oh, and the songs I quote in the chapters' titles are not mine either._

* * *

**_"With the taste of your lips I'm on a ride_**

**_You're toxic, I'm slipping under"_**

Scorpius Malfoy asked me to go to the Christmas Ball with him on a Sunday. After that, the last week of the term flew so fast that before I knew it, it was already Saturday and everybody was getting ready for the Ball.

It was three o'clock in the afternoon when the fact that I had to get dressed and go dance in front of eight hundred people downed on me. My room had been converted into a huge beauty parlor/fitting room filled with a cloud of powder, hairspray and perfume. A dozen girls tried to all fit in there, from my sixth year roomates Charlotte, Adithi Patil, Deborah Erik and Cassandra Jones, to my little cousin Lily.

I tried to remember how I had gotten into this. All I could think about was the big Saturday brunch McGonagall had organised this morning so we could all be free to get ready for the Ball earlier. I'd had such a tight knot in my stomach I'd barely eaten – actually I felt as if I had swallowed a bucket of ice so I was already full, in a way. When I had scanned the Slytherin table and my eyes had met Scorpius's, my stomach made a queasy back-flip. But I kept a composed face and so did he. From the outside, no one could tell I was about to go to the Ball with my dad's arch enemy's son.

It was our little secret – until tonight.

And I had to admit life had never felt as exciting and frightening as it did right now.

I guessed my expression was blank for too long because I didn't notice that Lily had started to put foundation on my nose.

"Hey ! I don't want you to hide my freckles !", I scolded, looking offended. And then, "Lily, you're a fourth year, shouldn't you be with girls your age ?"

"I _would_, if my older cousin knew how to put make up on her pretty face", Lily replied, an angelic – yet slightly ironic – smile on her face. Yeah, I know she was right. Damn, did she know how to shut me up. I knew the make-up excuse was just a way for her to try to extract information about my dance partner – it was very exciting for her, because only the sixth and seventh years had to have one.

"Please, Lily ? I want to look like myself." _OK, if I can look like an improved version of myself, that's not too bad either_. "Leave that foundation brush off my face"

"_Fine_." Lily said pointedly, lips pursed, and she pulled the brush away from my nose. While she dug in her huge beauty case for the next step – mascara – I rubbed the powder off my nose. I didn't want to tell Lily, but I actually liked my freckles, even if most people considered them flaws. With them I felt unique, and I didn't want to spoil this feeling, even for beauty's sake.

When Lily was done with the make-up, I went to my trunk and took my newest, prettiest black dress robes out.

"What are you doing ?" asked Charlotte. Her tone suggested that she already knew what was wrong, and that _I_ didn't.

"Uh… I'm taking my dress robes out?" I replied, a little annoyed. _Yeah, I got it, I'm not a girly girl. But does everyone haves to remind me of that today ? _I saw Charlotte and Lily exchange a quick glance. A quick glance that meant _our poor cousin definitely has no fashion sense._

Then Charlotte took out a big paper bag out of her trunk and handed it to me. Ready for the worst, I opened the bag, and pulled a beautiful strapless black dress out of it. The dress was simple but cut in a rich silky fabric. I gaped, admiring its perfect cut, while my best friend and my cousin displayed satisfied faces.

"Now, put on this magnificent piece of fashion and come see me when you're done. I'll give you shoes," ordered Charlotte.

"But – wh-where does this dress come from?" I stammered.

Lily smiled fondly. "When I told your mum about the Ball in the last letter I sent her and Uncle Ron, she sent me this dress back. And she asked me to make sure you make a good use of it : it's her engagement dress."

I looked at the dress while the meaning of this gift sinked in. I swallowed back my tears. This dress had a secret meaning to me: it was a message from my mum. She wanted to wish me luck for the Ball. And she wanted to make me understand that whatever my choice of date tonight, she would always love me unconditionally. I felt a wave of affection for her. My mother, the best, less prejudiced witch of our time, Hermione Granger.

I let the dress slide on carefully, and Charlotte threw me a look of approval before handing me a shoe box. In the box laid a pair of black satin pumps. They were Charlotte's, but they were almost new.

I wondered why she owned a pair of dressy pumps she never wore.

But then again, as all the girls in this room seemed to think, I wasn't a _real girl_. I mean, I didn't know how to put mascara on my lashes, how to pick matching clothes on my own, and worst of all, I didn't want to talk about the boy I was going to the Ball with.

As a girl, it made me totally pointless.

And I felt even more so when Charlotte, Lily and the other girls started to get ready too. I decided to leave them alone and wait in the Common Room.

Down in the Gryffindor Common Room I met Albus, who was waiting for Adithi, his date tonight. _Good luck Al, from what I saw up there she won't be done before two hours_, I thought, and I sat down on the couch opposite him.

"Hey," I sighed.

"Hey," he sighed back with a little smile. "How's my favorite cousin?"

"Nervous," I admitted. "About my dance partner, I mean."

Albus raised an eyebrow, willing me to keep talking.

"Sometimes, I feel as if I know him, I understand him better than anyone. Sometimes I feel that he's not what everybody thinks he is. And some other times, I pull myself together and I realize I barely know him, that I probably came up with all this to make my life more exciting." Damn Al, he sure had a talent for making me confess more things than I should.

Fortunately, he also had a talent for listening and reassuring me. That's why he was my favorite cousin.

"Rose, relax. I know you won't tell me who your mysterious date is, but I can still try to give you some advice. It is : go for it. Live this night to the fullest. And if this guy is not smart enough to understand how lucky he is, at least you won't have any regrets."

"Better remorse than regrets, you mean?" I asked.

"Sort of," he shrugged. "Take my advice or leave it – I'm only sixteen, like you, what do I know about life?"

_Oh, so much more than me, Albus._ Sometimes, I was simply dazzled by his wisdom – a rather rare quality in my family, and one I certainly couldn't pretend to have. And I liked Al's piece of advice even if somehow, it left me more nervous than before. I could live this night to the fullest indeed, but this meant I had no idea how far the night would go, and this was a bit scary.

***

The minutes before the Ball flew with unnatural speed. Before I knew it I was following James and Penelope, Albus and Adithi, Charlotte and Ed Jordan, out of the Gryddinfor tower and down to the Great Hall. Lily walked next to me, smilling at herself because she at least had figured out my date wasn't a Gryffindor.

And then I stepped into the Great Hall and the lights dazzled me. Hundreds of chandeliers were hanging in midair under the tall, star-dotted ceiling, bathing the space with warm, bright light. The tables were ready for the feast, scattered with shiny spots of gold which I realised were in fact plates and cups. People sat at the tables according to their year – the first, second and third years were considered too young to participate in the Ball, so there were only four tables.

I left the group with Al, Charlotte and their dates and walked to the sixth year table. I scanned it expectantly to finally spot a large empty space on the bench, next to Scorpius. He saw me the moment I saw him and we both smiled shyly. I held my breath as I took in his appearance : he wore a Muggle light grey tux – very sexy on him, but surprisingly non-traditional for a Malfoy – and despite his obvious attempt to flatten it, his hair was still unruly and heartbreakingly cute.

I sat down next to him, Al, Charlotte, Adithi and Ed sat down with me without understanding Scorpius was my date. I felt Scorpius bend his head towards mine and whisper :

"You look good, Rose."

"You look good too, Scorpius," I whispered back, attempting to hide my blushing face.

That's why foundation is so useful : it helps hide my all too visible emotions from the boy I like.

When everybody was seated, Professor McGonagall sat up, and all the conversations stopped at once.

"Dear students," she said, and her voice had such a natural authority than she didn't even have to perform the Sonorus spell to make herself heard.

"Tonight the Twenty Second Christmas Ball is held in Hogwarts. For all of you who don't know it – and for all of you who are too busy to listen to me," and her eyes turned to the seventh year table, where James and Penelope were already snogging, and briskly pulled away from each other when they realised McGonagall was glaring at them, "I have established this tradition when Hogwarts reopened after the last Great War. That is why, just for tonight, you are not seated according to your Houses, which only enhances your differences, but according to your level of education in Hogwarts – though some of you could have stayed in the dorms with the second years." She threw a murderous glance at James and Penelope, and the whole room burst out laughing.

"Let's hope that tonight, you will also behave yourselves according to your level of education, and not according to your old friendships or your old prejudices."

I looked at Scorpius from the corner of my eye. He was taking in every word McGonagall was saying with bated breath. At least, tonight, Scorpius and I were the perfect couple according to our Headmistress's speech.

"Let the Christmas Ball begin !" McGonagall concluded. "But before dinner, let the sixth and seventh years open the Ball, as tradition would have it."

I hadn't planned that. Dancing in front of all the people gathered in the Great Hall before even absorbing a little food. And, as the 'bucket of ice in the stomach' sensation returned, I felt the table move : actually, all the tables were moving back to the walls, leaving a huge empty space in the middle of the Hall, which I figured must be the dancefloor. With a pop, four musicians Apparated there – I guess McGonagall had given special Apparating authorisation in order to surprise her audience – and they started playing the first notes of a waltz at once.

"Merlin's beard, The Black Kats !" whispered Albus excitedly.

It seemed that nobody wanted to be the first to open the Ball. I stared at the dancefloor, transfixed.

Until I was vaguely aware of Scorpius sitting up and holding out his hand for me.

_Oh, dear Merlin._

Numbed out by stage fright, my mind went totally blank. I gave him my hand and we walked forward on the dancefloor.

Then Scorpius turned to face me and I felt his hand slide around my waist and rest on the small of my back. My heart started pounding again, about a hundred times faster than a minute ago, and I instinctively put the hand he wasn't holding on his shoulder. I couln't hear a single note of music. Or maybe the band had just stopped playing. Just as the entire room seemed to have stopped breathing.

But I guess the band hadn't stopped playing after all because Scorpius started gently rocking me around the dancefloor in a choregraphy that reminded me of a waltz. Oh, wait, maybe that _was_ a waltz. My head was so hazy – at this very moment the best I could do was move my feet in rythm ; understanding _why_ I did that was just too much work.

We danced twice around the dancefloor before other couples joined us. In a wirl of music and silhouettes I saw James in Penelope's arms, looking at me moodily. I saw Al dancing with Adithi – he had a smug smile, which probably meant 'I knew something was going on'. In fact, I was vaguely aware that all the eyes were on Scorpius and me.

But right now it didn't matter that much. I was dancing in Scorpius's arms, and he held me gently yet tighly enough so I wouldn't collapse on the floor. I couldn't take my eyes off of his, and I knew my mouth had frozen in a stupid smile hours ago. Fortunately for me and my self-esteem, Scorpius looked just as hypnotized as I did. Very quickly we forgot where we were or what was going on around us. We only focused on what was going on _with_ us.

A short pause, and the Black Kats started playing their third song.

Scorpius bent towards me, pressed his cheek on mine, breathed in my hair. I felt the little hair on the back of my neck stand on end. My heart, which was already beating fast, threatened to break records. He was so close to me, the smell of his skin was so attractive, that I felt the need to come even closer to him and nest my face between his shoulder and his neck.

This, and Grandma Molly's chocolate pudding : these were _definitely_ the two most sensual experiences I had had in my entire life.

Scorpius breathed in deeply, and whispered, his mouth almost on my hear :

"I've waited so long for this moment, Rose."

OK. I'm not the most romantic girl on the planet, thus I know how to distinguish between a fake pick-up line and a real feeling. Scorpius had said these words so simply, so truthfully – and I knew how hard it must have been to say them – that I believed him right away.

"Me too, Scorpius," I whispered against his neck. "Thanks for inviting me to the Ball"

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," he said, and I shivered again. "Besides, I absolutely _had_ to show Zabini I could get a girl as stunning as his."

I chuckled – which was probably not the sexiest thing to do in front of the boy I fancied. But I was so grateful of Scorpius for breaking the tension by making a sarcastic joke. Zabini and Hysler were indeed stunning, I thought when I turned around to see them. He was wearing a perfectly cut black tuxedo and she was wearing a red dress that was obviously designed to turn heads. I smiled. This is the least threatened I had ever felt – Scorpius was the most handsome boy in Hogwarts to me. And, thanks to Charlotte and Lily, I wasn't looking so bad myself.

"You know," Scorpius said, "I've finished reading _Jane Eyre_."

"So, did you like it?" I asked, hoping he would say yes.

"Of course I did." I mentally sighed with relief. "It was so… exotic."

"Exotic?" That's so _not_ the word I would have used to describe this book.

"You have to understand, it's the first Muggle book I've ever read. And probably one of my favorite books so far."

"Oh, come on. You're just pulling my leg," I scolded.

"No I'm not. The story was really moving. I don't know, I simply felt I could relate to it."

"How? It's about a poor young governess and her older, crippled master."

Scorpius laughed. "Yes, but I'm talking about the way Mr Rochester and Jane have so much in common even if they're so dramatically different. It reminds me of us – without the age and education difference, and, I really hope, without the slightly tragic, although happy, ending."

Before my brain could even process what had just been said, the third song ended, and I heard the cackling voice of Judy Fycus, the sixth year Slytherin who had insulted me in the beginning of the year, right next to us. The sound was so annoying it immediately burst the bubble.

"Well, well, well. Look who's there. The first couple on the dancefloor. And it's a mixed one : a Slytherin, and a filthy Gryffindor."

"What do you want, Fycus?" snapped Scorpius through gritted teeth.

I tensed in his arms. I wouldn't like to be Fycus right now : Scorpius's glare seemed almost lethal.

"I don't _want_ anything, Malfoy," Fycus snapped back. "It's the tradition : first couple to open the Christmas Ball is subject to hazing." A cruel smile spread on her broad, ugly face, and, when I looked around, I understood she wasn't alone. Around her stood about five or sixth students, arms crossed, displaying the same cruel grin. It seemed they had all taken McGonagall's speech about inter-House mixity to the letter because there were students from each House. I spotted Mark Huttington, the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, on the back of the group.

_Mental note, tell Scorpius to 'accidentally' elbow Huttington in the ribs during the next Slytherin/Hufflepuff match._

While I was starting to panic, Scorpius kept a straight face.

"There's only a teeny tiny problem, Fycus," he smiled.

"Oh really? What is it?" she asked, her smile broadening.

"You'll have to catch us first! RUN, ROSE!"

He made a grab for my hand and took me running with him. Laughing with fear and excitement, we rushed out of the Great Hall, the bullies hot on our heels.

Scorpius and I went up the stairs four at a time, and we couldn't stop laughing. Once in a while we turned around to see where our pursuers were. Sometimes I met his eyes in the process, and they sparkled so much I soon forgot the panic I had felt on the dancefloor. This was actually a game, and I was having much more fun than I'd expected.

We went up so many flights of stairs we forgot to keep count of them. Soon we arrived on a landing and Scorpius whispered, "Let's turn in here!". We turned on our left and found ourselves in a badly lit corridor, before realizing it was a dead end.

Behind us, the footsteps of Fycus and her gang were drawing closer. I heard her shout "They just stopped running! We're close!" _We need a place to hide !_ I thought in a panic, brow furrowed.

Suddenly, when I was about to lose hope and let the bullies drag us to the Lake to feed us to the Giant Squid, I heard a trigger behind me, followed by the creaking sound of an opening door. Scorpius and I turned around at the same time : a small door, opened on a tiny, feebly-lit room, had just appeared on the wall.

No time to think. We rushed inside the miraculous room and slammed the door shut. Outside, we soon heard Fycus and her sidekicks swear and shout because they had come so close to catching us and then lost us so unexpectedly.

And I suddenly recognized this room, even though I had never set foot in it : it was the Room of Requirement, the one my parents and Uncle Harry had told me so much about, the one that appeared only when you really needed it. It hadn't been destroyed in the Battle of Hogwarts after all.

I was about to tell Scorpius, but he had his back turned, and he was pressing his ear on the door to listen to the people outside. I looked around me, and I was reminded of my first encounter with Scorpius in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express a few months ago. The room was equally small, the lightning equally low and soft. But here there wasn't any chair to sit on. So I was standing, so close to Scorpius because of the lack of space that I suddenly felt very aware of the space my body was taking.

Scorpius seemed to finally realize where we were and turned slowly to face me. I looked at him, not knowing what to say or what to do. I swear my heart was now beating so fast it was on the verge of actually vibrating.

Scorpius tentatively held out his hand, and gently cupped my cheek, stroking my face with his fingers.

And then I was breathless.

I swallowed hard.

My brain had officially broken down.

His hand slid into my hair, and his face came dangerously close to mine. So close his hot breath melted into mine.

And before I had the time to understand what was going on, his lips were on mine.

* * *

_So, what did you think ? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated ! **Please** **press the Review button** and…_

_Next chapter coming soon !_


	11. Say I was shameless

_Hello everybody!_

_First of all thanks to all my _**_adorable_**_ reviewers: _**_callmedaynuhh_**_, _**_mimimi213_**_, _**_yellow 14_**_, _**_-LittleMissMel-_**_, _**_babiixilyx3_**_, _**_Rhr4eva_**_, _**_greekgeekemm_**_, _**_ChocolateLover68_**_, _**_RossxRachel4ever_**_ and _**_vampireadtic_**_. I'm getting more and more reviews, which means more and more updates for you... So keep reading, reviewing, adding this story to your favs or alerts, it means so much and you know it ;)_

_This chapter was excruciatingly hard to write. It's like, OK, they kissed, and now what? I'm not entirely satisfied (I don't think I could be though). But I really hope you'll be happy with it anyway :)_

_So on with Chapter 11!_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I would never have thought of Hogwarts, Horcruxes or talking paintings. So I believe it's pretty clear I'm not JK Rowling. Thus I don't own Harry Potter._

_I don't own the songs I'm quoting in the chapter titles either, unfortunately._

* * *

**_"Just blame it all on me_**

**_Say I was shameless"_**

I had kissed Rose Weasley. Dear Merlin, _I had kissed Rose Weasley_.

_Wait a second._

I _was_ kissing Rose Weasley.

And she was kissing me back.

Part of my brain tried to remember how this could have happened. What had made me brave or crazy enough to kiss her. I could only remember being so close to her that her lips literally attracted mine, as if there was no way to fight it, nothing else left to do. One minute I stood there, light-headed, hypnotised by her presence – and next thing I knew, I was tasting her soft, full lips, with this amazing feeling in my body that screamed hysterically _'I am kissing the girl of my dreams!'_ - and I had no idea what had triggered this kiss.

Yet, another part of my brain was telling the first one to just shut up and_ carpe kissem_.

And frankly, it was more fun listening to _this_ part of my brain.

A warm, comfortable silence enveloped us like a blanket in the tiny room we had hidden in to escape Judy Fycus and her gang. The only noise disturbing the peaceful atmosphere was the soft sound of our breathing.

And, of course, the unbelievable din my heart was making in my chest.

Rose was so close to me it seemed almost surreal. It felt as if she were literally all over me. Her captivating smell, her hair, her skin were all I could feel or touch. She smelled even better from such a short distance – like warm milk and raspberries and fresh laundry. And her lips tasted so good I wished I could kiss her forever.

As unbelievable as it seemed to me, Rose apparently enjoyed herself as much as I did. I felt the tips of her fingers slip into my hair and softly grab handfuls of it while she passionately deepened our kiss.

And I passionately kissed her back.

I never would have thought Rose Weasley would like the way I kissed. Actually I never really thought all this situation through.

That's sort of the reason why I couldn't believe my own good luck.

Suddenly, without reason, she pulled her head back, looking stunned. She was slightly shaking, and she avoided my eyes.

I started to panic:_ is something wrong? Is it the way I kiss?_

Well at least I had kissed her for two minutes. That's more joy some people get in a lifetime.

I had to ask, though.

"What's wrong?"

"This!" she seemed almost in hysterics. "This kiss!"

As I probably looked even more panicked than I thought I did, she shook her head and added:

"No, not the kiss _per se_. The kiss was good-" I nodded frantically in approval, and she finished her sentence smiling "- no, it's the _fact_ that we've kissed."

"I don't understand," I said, feeling like a complete idiot.

"Scorpius, what would happen if your father learnt you'd kissed Rose Weasley?"

"He would disown me, why?" I said simply, half joking.

"Aren't you worried, then?"

I stopped to think for a second.

"No, not really. Don't misunderstand me. I love my father, I just resigned myself a long time ago to live without him one day. I mean, I've always known that one day or another, my father's interests and mine would clash. We don't exactly have the same idea of life, of family honor or of… blood continuity. Besides, since the end of the War, the name of Malfoy is not that well thought of anyway, so hey, I won't miss it that much. It's sad, I know, but there's nothing I can do about it either, so I'm OK with it."

Despite my obvious sarcasm – try as I may, I couldn't help but feel bitter about my family's past and opinions – Rose took some time to take in the meaning of my words. And they didn't seem to reassure her.

I decided the best way to understand what she was going through was to ask her:

"What about _your_ parents? What would they do if they learnt about…us?" I bit my lip, wondering if I had brought up the '_us_' part too soon for her.

"Well. Considering the look on James's face when he saw me dancing with you at the Ball, I would say that my father would probably throw a fit, that my Uncle Harry would try hard to hide his disappointment, that my Aunt Ginny would tell me all about the time she Bat-Bogey-hexed your father, that my brother and cousins would stop talking to me… And my mum… She would tell me the most important thing is that I am happy."

I hesitated.

"Are you happy?"

She shot me an ironic, '_what do you think_' look. I decided to take it as a _yes_.

"Then, among all these people, who would you rather listen to?"

She looked down. Seen from above, her eyelashes seemed incredibly graceful, even longer than I thought they were. She reminded me of a wounded deer and I struggled not to take her in my arms and hug her tight. I wanted to hear what she had to say first.

"I'd rather listen to my mum." she said. "She's always been open-minded, unprejudiced. And that's the way I want to live, too."

I cupped her chin with my hand, lifted her face so that her eyes met mine.

"I'm not saying it's easy, Rose. Neither for me nor for you. But you're not your family, and I'm not my father – as I hope you've already noticed by now – so there's no way I'm going to let _their_ conflicts keep us apart."

She nodded, an unreadable emotion running deep in her eyes.

"I'm just scared, Scorpius. I don't know what's happening to me. I've always thought what my family thought of me was the most important thing in the world. I've always been the best at school," I raised an eyebrow, and she playfully pushed me, "OK, not _always_, sometimes you beat me. I've always been the good girl, the one who never got into trouble. And now here I am kissing you, and I know this will be enough to disappoint them. Even though there's no reason to be disappointed, because you're such a good person Scorpius, I know it. It's so absurd…"

I took her in my arms, let her nest her head in the crook of my neck and hushed her in the most soothing way I could come up with.

"Do you want to stop?" I asked just in case. Because I sincerely hoped she didn't.

She looked at me incredulously, with a slightly mocking expression that clearly meant '_Are you kidding ? I hope you are_'.

"No… Do you?"

"Of course not."

And with a swift motion she pressed herself against me, grabbed my hair in her hands and whispered, her brown eyes boring into mine, her mouth almost against my lips :

"Then don't."

***

I lost track of time after that second kiss. It was just too interesting to keep track of the hours anyway.

So it was probably very late when Rose tore her lips from mine and sat down on the floor, smiling at me. I was glad to see she had put her fears aside for the moment.

I sat down next to her and I put my arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on my shoulder and I kissed her hair, which smelled fruity and fresh.

The girl really smelled better than anything else in the entire world.

The room was so small it was impossible to fully stretch our legs while sitting. Rose moved her knees, squirmed a little in my arms, and finally seemed to settle in a comfortable position. She slipped her hand in my hand and intertwined her fingers with mine.

"Scorpius?" she asked with a little voice.

"Yeah?"

"It's too late to go back to our dorms, isn't it?"

"I guess. If Filch catches us in the corridors, it will be hard to explain what we're doing here. And as much as I love spending time with you, I wouldn't mind _not_ spending it in detention."

She chuckled.

"So we're here until tomorrow?"

"Probably. We'd better not forget to wake up, though – I doubt the Hogwarts Express will wait for us after noon."

"And I haven't packed my trunk yet," Rose sighed.

I felt a little lump at the back of my throat. This meant we only had a few hours left together, before the two-week holidays. Two weeks without seeing her, talking to her, touching her.

We just had found each other and we already had to part.

And before I had the chance to stop and think about it, I said :

"I'm going to miss you, Rose."

She gently squeezed my fingers.

"I'm going to miss you too, Scorpius. So much."

They were only a few words but my idiot of a heart leapt with joy.

I hugged her tight. I tried to save every little detail: I would need all my memories of this moment for the next two weeks.

Rose shivered against me, her head on my chest, and I heard her little voice speak again :

"Scorpius?"

"Yeah." _My sweet, adorable Rose._

"Please tell me we'll see each other during the holidays?"

A little confused, I asked:

"How? You just told me your family didn't want to know about me."

"I don't care. I don't think I can last until January without seeing you. We'll just have to be a little creative." She paused, and then continued with an embarassed little laugh.

"You must think I'm crazy. We barely know each other, we just had our first kiss… We probably don't need to see each other during the holidays. Forget what I said."

I rolled my eyes and took her face in my hands.

"Rose, you're not crazy. I-" I stopped talking, carefully choosing my words not to scare her, "I feel like I have known you forever, although I've only met you a few months ago. So, yes, I will miss you too. And yes, I don't know what I would do if I didn't see you during the holidays either. I only mentionned your family because I don't want you to feel guilty around them."

"We don't have to tell them," she whispered in my ear.

"Exactly." I stroked her hair. I was happy I had comforted her. "We'll deal with them later." Right now, I only wanted to think about _her_.

She cuddled up against me and tried to hide a yawn behind her hand. She looked exhausted. Frankly, I also felt as if I had had a rather emotionally draining day. She laid her head on my shoulder and her breathing gradually slowed down. I felt her entire body relax, and I understood she was ready to fall asleep.

I sat still, listening to the sound of her calm breathing.

I had never felt this way for anyone before.

This attraction, before I'd even talked to her.

This emotion, everytime she looked up at me.

Those butterflies in my stomach, when I thought about her.

And when I finally kissed her, I found myself wishing it would never stop.

This feeling was so new, so unusual, so good, that it almost freaked me out.

I had just realised something. It had all happened really fast. But I wanted to be with her, at any cost, because Rose was the best thing that had ever happened to me. The very idea of not being with her was frightening. I was ready to do anything for her. To keep her.

"Goodnight, Rose," I whispered softly in her hair.

***

Rose squirmed next to me. She tried to stretch her legs but her feet met the solid wooden door. Slightly taken aback, she paused for a second, then resumed her yawning and stretched her arms above her head. I had been watching her the whole time, and she was so cute she reminded me of a little kitten. I finished waking her up by gently kissing her eyelids. She laughed.

"Morning," she said, leaning to give me a peck on the lips.

"Morning," I answered, a wide smile already on my face.

Maybe for now on we were doomed to have those big, stupid happy smiles betray our happiness forever.

"What time is it?" she wondered. "We probably should get out of here. We still have to pack our trunks before the train leaves, unless you'd like to spend Christmas here."

"Oh, if it's with you, I really wouldn't mind," I squeezed her hand playfully.

She smiled. I hoped this meant she agreed with me.

I carefully opened the door, quickly scanned the corridor outside, and said:

"Come on! Nobody's there. The coast is clear."

When we walked to the staircase we had run up yesterday, I realised I had no idea where we were. Rose, on the other hand, didn't seem disoriented at all and started walking down the stairs without looking back. Which was quite surprising, because to me, remembering the location of the mysterious little room could come handy later.

Rose noticed how reluctant I was to leave this place. She took my hand soothingly and said:

"Don't worry. I know a way to find the room again."

Bewildered, I decided to ask about it later. Now was clearly not a good time. And I wanted to spend my last minutes with her enjoying her presence, not asking questions about Hogwarts secrets I could read in _Hogwarts: A History_.

Besides, who had ever read this book, really?

Thus, I focused on the softness of her skin, the warmth of her hand in mine, the way her beautiful red hair cascaded in perfect waves on her shoulders.

And it broke my heart a little.

We eventually arrived on a familiar landing, the one where a suit of armour wristled '_Jingle Bells_' all year long. For once the song was appropriate, with all the snow and the Christmas decorations around.

Rose turned to face me with a solemn look in her eyes. It was time to say goodbye.

I swallowed hard.

"I guess that's where we part." she said. Her eyes looked glazed, as if they were about to fill with tears.

"Not for long, I hope" I answered, wishing she didn't look so sad. It only made things harder.

"I hope so too."

She leant on me, and we kissed one last time. A long nostalgic kiss. Until the next one.

And then she walked away from me, and turned to wave goodbye before she disappeared in the corridor.

"Bye Scorpius."

"Happy holidays, Rose", I smiled at her.

Then, when she left, I walked down to the Slytherin dorms, letting the memories of the night we had spent together pour into me.

***

"So, Scorp, you're not going to tell us how was last night?" Leo insisted once again.

I shot him an annoyed glance. I so wasn't going to tell them. Last night was too perfect to be trivialized. And I wasn't the kind of guy who kissed and told. At least not when I felt this way about the girl I'd kissed.

"Leave him alone, Leo," said Agnes, putting her arm around Leo's shoulders. "He's got the right to have secrets from us, you know. Even though if I had gone out with Rose Weasley, I would be boasting about it right now," she added mischievously.

"Indeed," Leo chuckled. "Weasley is one of the hottest girls in Hogwarts - after you, honey," he added quickly, pecking Agnes's cheek, while she pretended to be offended.

They burst out laughing and came a little closer to each other.

Well, I guess they didn't waste their time last night either. Comfortably cuddled up together on the compartment seat opposite mine, they looked as if they'd been a couple forever.

As happy as I was for them, I was sorry I couldn't do the same with Rose. Keeping our relationship - or whatever one could call the gray area we were into - secret had good sides, like not having to deal with our families yet. But it also had heartbreaking sides, like seeing her on the platform before boarding the train, surrounded by half a billion red-headed cousins, and not being able to run to her and kiss her as I wanted to.

And now I had to endure five hours sitting in front of my two best friends and their very much out-in-the-open relationship.

Actually, currently out and in each other throats.

"Guys! _Please!_ Behave!" I moaned, infuriated.

Leo, who was practically lying on top of Agnes, straightened himself up and looked at me with a grumpy, frustated expression.

"Maybe nothing happened between Weasley and you," he said, and it was more of a statement than a assumption. For him, it was simply impossible to snog a girl and not brag about it the next day.

"Or maybe not," added Agnes, examining me with her big green eyes. _Trying to provoke me, Agnes? Not going to work_, I thought. The smug look on my face seemed to discourage her and she concluded, patting my knee: "I won't insist, Scorp. I'm sure we'll find out what happened between yesterday evening and this morning eventually..." and she winked at me.

I smiled at her. Yeah, one day, I will tell them. After all, I only got the guts to ask Rose to the Christmas Ball because Leo and Agnes challenged me to. And if I hadn't invited Rose to the Ball, we wouldn't be together now. So, in a way, I owed my new relationship to them.

And while the Hogwarts Express whistled loudly, blew clouds of white steam and finally moved forward with a jerk, I lazily leant my forehead on the cold window and surveyed the moving landscape.

I might look like I was daydreaming, but actually I was already scheming a way to get to see Rose during the winter holidays.

* * *

_So, what did you think? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated! **Please** **press the Review button** and…_

_Next chapter coming soon!_


	12. I miss you but I haven't met you yet

_Hello everybody!_

_First of all thanks to all my _**_adorable_**_ reviewers.__ I'm getting more and more reviews, it makes me happy, tells me I'm on the right track :)) So keep reading, reviewing, adding this story to your favs or alerts, it means so much and you know it ;)_

_OK, so this chapter is shorter than the others because I had tons of things to do and I wrote it very slowly. I'm going to Spain for a few days and I wanted to update the story anyway, so here it is. I promise, next chapter will have more material in it !_

_So on with Chapter 12!_

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I'm French, not British. So I believe it's pretty clear I'm not JK Rowling. Thus I don't own Harry Potter._

_I don't own the songs I'm quoting in the chapter titles either, unfortunately. But they're good, and you should listen to them at least once :))_

* * *

_**I miss you**_

_**But I haven't met you yet**_

I'd been back from Hogwarts for three days. During these three days, my entire family had gathered at the Burrow, Grandma Molly had made a gazillion pumpkin pies, and we had already laughed and fought and eaten more than we had in the last four months.

During these three days I had also missed Scorpius so much it hurt.

Actually, I'd missed him since the moment I set foot on Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross. There were about twenty red-headed members of my family waiting for me, Hugo and my cousins. That was when I realized I wouldn't see Scorpius for a long time. I had looked around for a last glimpse of him and I had seen him already surrounded by his mother and his father. They looked as happy to see him as my family did.

We were just two ordinary families, after all. Happy when we were together, unhappy when we were apart. I wondered why we just couldn't get along.

But this very thought raised a challenge, and I wanted to take on this challenge _with_ Scorpius, not _without_ him.

Nobody home seemed to notice I was more brooding, more quiet than usual. In the Weasley family, I'd always been the sensible, smart girl, the one that only stepped in when there was something witty or sarcastic to say. I wasn't surprised that nobody noticed though : we were so many people at the Burrow that the mood of one of them wasn't enough to influence the general holiday spirit. The old house buzzed day and night like a giant beehive.

My mum was the only one to throw me questioning glances once in a while. But her attention went unnoticed in the middle of all the Christmas mess the family was making. My dad, for example, was totally oblivious of my passive behaviour – and to be franck it suited me fine, as it avoided me answering indiscreet questions.

I forbid myself to think about Scorpius though. I thought this attitude would protect me from the pain of not hearing from him for two weeks. Because, let's face it : a boy like him was bound to forget a girl like me.

Yes, I know, Scorpius brought this "thing" out of me. I never used to feel insecure about myself when it came to boys. When I wanted a boy, I usually went for it – and it usually worked, because until now, I had always been sure that I was pretty, witty and fun enough to be any boy's ideal girlfriend.

But with Scorpius I'd lose all my self-confidence. I wasn't so sure about my power of seduction any more. I had soon come to realise that it was because of the way I felt for him. Indeed, I'd never felt that way about anyone before. With the other boys, I'd never had something to lose, so I wasn't scared of what would happen if it didn't work. With Scorpius, I had everything to lose. I couln't imagine not being with him, even though the moments spent with him since the beginning of our relationship came to a few hours.

Actually, I forbade myself to think about him in order to avoid panicking.

I was sitting at my desk in the girls' room of the third floor, trying to finish a five-feet-long essay for Neville – or, should I say, Professor Longbottom – while once again thinking about the necessity to block out any thought of Scorpius Malfoy.

He had promised me we'd find a way to see each other, and since we'd left Hogwarts, I had no news from him. I could have gone literally hysterical, or really mad at him, if I hadn't chosen to keep calm and ignore him – the absence of him.

While I was trying hard to concentrate on my essay, a big russet owl flew in front of the window and started poking it with its claws. Lily, who was lying on her bed reading _Witch Weekly_, jerked up and let out a frightened little squeek.

And so did I. I had just recognised Athos, Scorpius's owl.

I ran to the window, opened it quickly and let the poor bird inside. Athos landed on my desk, flapped his wings and hooted with relief. It was so cold outside I could understand how good it must feel for him to finally be in a warm place.

I noticed the scroll of parchment tied to his foot, and untied it promptly. The word « Rose Weasley » was scrawled on the side, definitely a boy's writing. My heart leapt in my chest : it was a letter from Scorpius.

"Oh my god. Who wrote to you, _who wrote to you_???" screamed Lily, already overexcited now. Then her face lit up : "Oh, I'm sure it's Scorpius, isn't it?"

"Lily!" I turned to her with gritted teeth.

"Scorpius! Scorpius! Scorpius!" she sang, dancing around me.

I sighed and decided to try another strategy to make her shut her face.

"No, Lily, it's not Scorpius. Nothing happened between us and I doubt he's written me a letter to discuss it. This letter is from Cassandra. We're Herbology partners and we co-writting the essay for Neville, remember?"

Lily's face fell. "I am _so_ disappointed." she said, emphasizing the _so_. Then she tucked her magazine under her arm and left the room slaming the door.

I sighed, then breathed in deeply in order to calm myself.

I sat down at my desk, put my hands on the parchment to flatten it, breathed out deeply. I held my breath…

And then I looked at the letter and read it in one breath.

_"Dear Rose,_

_I hope that you're doing well and that you're about to have a happy Christmas Eve with your family. At the Malfoy Manor, my mother laid the table for three, and we all have the difficult task to eat an entire turkey in one sitting._

_In order to forget this future trauma, I would like to take you out on a date the next day. On the 26th, I will be all yours, so choose an hour and a place and I will be there._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Scorpius."_

I had to read the letter three times to allow my heartbeat to slow down a bit and to understand its meaning. Then I stood up, walked to the centre of the room very slowly, and made a silent little happy dance.

Then I walked back to my desk, sat down and wondered what I could do on my date with Scorpius.

It would be our first _real_ date, after all. And as for any first date, I wanted to surprise him, to make this moment unique, and to allow him to know me better – and _vice versa_.

I wanted to do something related to who I was, to my heritage – and yet something totally new to him.

_Got it._

I had an idea.

I grabbed a piece of parchment and furiously scribbled on it:

_"Dear Scorpius,_

_"Let's meet in London, Picadilly Circus, in front of the electric boards – the big ones with the sparkling, moving color lights – at 10 o'clock in the morning of the 26th._

_Looking forward to seeing you,_

_Yours,_

_Rose"_

I tied the scroll on Athos's leg without overthinking what I had just done – if I started overthinking it, I would have ripped out the letter and I would have run to my bed and stayed there until the 27th.

When Athos left off, I stayed at the window and followed him until he disappeared in the darkness completely. I pretended to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach, and simply crossed my fingers, hoping everything would go well.

***

We had just finished our Christmas dinner. My family was slowly migrating from the kitchen to the living room, laughing, talking and congratulating Grandma Molly for her delicious fifteen-courses dinner. Uncle George was already displaying the latest products on sale at Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. Hugo had almost pushed me when he ran to see what was going on, and Lily had followed him, squeeling. Sometimes I forgot Hugo and Lily were only fourteen years old, despite their attempts to mingle with our older friends at Hogwarts.

I started clearing away the table. I was alone in the kitchen now, and I enjoyed the silence after the very happy, yet very loud family dinner we'd just had. I could have picked up and cleaned the plates by magic, but I felt the need to make this evening last a little longer in the dimly lit, cosy atmosphere of the kitchen.

So with the clattering of plates and glasses in the sink, I didn't hear my mum coming in the room.

"Everything's fine, Rose?" I heard her soft voice behind me.

I couldn't help but start, and the plates in my hands almost lost their balance. I laid them shakily in the sink and turned to my mum.

"Yes, everything's fine. I'm cleaning the table, that's all."

She looked me deeply in the eye, and I squirmed, a little uncomfortable. But why should I feel this way? I wondered. I'm not doing anything wrong…

"I mean, are you alright, Rose, are you _happy_. That's what I meant. Are you happy with your life and all?"

_Ah, bollocks._ Of course my mum noticed something. How could she not, especially considering how I blushed when I heard her question.

"Yes Mum, I'm very happy. Everything's perfect."

Then, thinking I should tell her about the fact I'd be out tomorrow, I added : "By the way, I'll be in London tomorrow. I'm spending the day with…" _Think faster, Rose, think faster_, "a friend." _Oh, very nice, Rose. Very specific._

My mum looked at me with a strange look on her face, then smiled : "I'm happy for you Rose. Have a great day with your _friend_ tomorrow."

She leant and kissed me on the forehead, then left.

I sighed. I hated lying to my mum, but I had no choice. Right? I tried to comfort myself by thinking she'd been young too, and thus she'd understand me.

Then I went up to my room, feeling slightly feverish, and hoping I'd manage to get some sleep tonight, so as to be pretty enough tomorrow.

***

The next morning, I woke up feeling as if I had slept fifteen minutes, in which I had had the weirdest dreams about London monuments falling on me while Scorpius sat back and watched, laughing an evil laugh.

Perplexed, I stayed a minute sitting in my bed, before I got up and dressed. I put on a pair of jeans, a sweater, a warm jacket and my favorite black boots, an outfit that was warm enough for a whole winter day outdoors. I left my room quietly without waking up Lily.

I was lucky everyone in my family liked to sleep in ; thus, the coast was clear, and I ate a piece of leftover chocolate pudding and washed it down with a mug of coffee without being disturbed.

I really needed to get some food in my stomach before going to my date, otherwise I was sure I would pass out somewhere between the Burrow and Piccadilly Circus. I already felt too much emotions for my own good.

Once I filled up with chocolate and coffee, I ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, and then rushed out in the hall, grabbed the bag that was still hanging on the coat rack, and made a quiet exit.

It was half past eight in the morning and the house was really peaceful while I was walking away in the snow-white garden.

I breathed out deeply, as if I had held my breath since yesterday evening. I was going to spend a whole day with the boy who made my heart race, and nobody knew about it, except my mum – well, for the most part.

I felt slightly guilty, yet immensely free. The cold morning air that filled my lungs felt purer, the songs of the winter birds clearer than usual.

I was going to see Scorpius Malfoy, and everything was perfect in the whole world.

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_So, what did you think? Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated! **Please** **press the Review button** and…_

_Next chapter coming soon!_


	13. Cause London is drowning and I

Hello everyone !

First of all thanks to my _**lovely reviewers**_, **Joelle8**, **XxrandomxX**, **Chocolatelover68**, **babiixilyx3**, **Rhr4eva**, **yellow 14**, **-LittleMissMel-**, **MrsMargeryLovett** !

_Your reviews make me happy:)) So keep reading, reviewing, adding this story to your favs or alerts, it means so much and you know it ;)_

_So on with Chapter 13!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ If I was JK Rowling, it wouldn't be my dream to be like her one day. Ergo I don't own Harry Potter._

_I don't own the songs I'm quoting in the chapter titles either, unfortunately. But they're good, and you should listen to them at least once :))_

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_  
_

'**Cause London is drowning and I**

**Live by the river**

I was waiting for Rose under the so-called 'elektic boards' of Piccadilly Circus – she had written they were the big bright boards with moving lights and colours, and I thought I'd gotten at least this thing right. Getting to this meeting point had been quite a trip, as I hardly knew London and as I'd never been taught how to use the underground. So after I Apparated in Hyde Park, I'd lived through a few minor, though very humiliating, incidents, such as trying to pass through the turnstile without a ticket and almost being arrested by the station guard, for example. But I'd made it, and I was proud.

And now, lost in thought, I was watching the few passers-by hurrying in the cold morning, running their errands after Christmas Day.

I'd never felt that nervous before a date. I still couldn't believe I'd dared make the first move – send her the letter without overthinking it, because otherwise, I'm sure I'd have chickened out – and I still couldn't believe she'd answered it. I'd always thought girls were predicable. Maybe the ones I had dated before were. They always wanted everything planned, even the surprises. And they just _loved_ hanging out at Mrs Paddifoot's tearoom in Hogsmeade, when I'd always found it overly sweet, pink and almost too hot to breathe.

But with Rose, things were different. It was both natural and scary. I felt disoriented even in the simpler situations, just like talking to her, asking her out, dancing with her… Yet, she was different. It was probably the way she was able to be herself whether she was alone in class or surrounded by her family. The way she was so shy sometimes, when one look made her blush. The was she kissed me, so confident, so passionate…

Yep. This crush had turned out to be something bigger than expected indeed.

I was almost daydreaming of her at this point, and I didn't hear her say my name.

"Scorpius?"

She touched my shoulder, and I snapped back to reality and turned around.

There she was, her red hair cascading in graceful waves out of her hat, her pointed little nose pink with cold, her full lips opened in a bright smile.

She was so heartbrealingly cute, I couldn't help but feel a huge smile spread on my face, while my heartbeat accelerated dangerously.

"Hey." That's all I found to say.

And once again, before I could think about it, I was cupping her cheek with my hand, and kissing her with all the passion that had accumulated in me all these days I had missed her. I was so immersed in our kiss that I barely felt her arms lock around my neck and her fingers slide in my hair and interwine themselves in it. I guessed that was a good sign, and smiled against her lips.

Unfortunately, I'd forgotten a tiny detail – to breathe – and we had to stop kissing just in order to take our breath again. My forehead touching hers, I looked into her eyes, felt my heart melt, swallowed back the need to tell her how much I had missed her. She was so beautiful, she smelled so good, that I wondered how I had managed to survive without her during these last five days. How I had managed to survive during all these years, actually. How I would survive our next goodbye tonight.

But I couldn't tell her all that. Boys like me – especially Malfoys – were supposed to be tough. Not overdramatic, like I was right now.

Rose curled up her hand inside mine and brought me back to reality. I gazed at her face: a mischievous smile was playing on her mouth now.

"So… how about we get started with our date?"

***

I learnt something about Rose that day : the girl was a human electric battery.

Being with her was like being in the eye of a whirlwind. A whirlwind of cheerfulness, of energy, of surprises – which was a good thing, really.

Being with her was so different than everything I had ever experienced : the disciplined, colorless life at my parents' house, my arrogant cousins, Leo's and Agnès's hilarious yet cynical sens of humour… Before Rose, I had never met anyone so… open to life.

Rose seemed to breath happiness and optimism, even in the most common situations. At the coffee house where we stopped because we were cold, her eyes were sparkling. At the movie theatre where she took me, she spent two hours laughing quietly while enjoying my reactions – though I couldn't understand why she found my panicking when the images started to move and talk without magic on a white screen so funny. At the restaurant where we had lunch, she made me try thai food and ate her pad thai with more appetite than any girl I knew. In the department stores, she marvelled at the Christmas decorations and insisted on visiting the toy department – afterwards I had to admit it was quite fun.

So Rose was a happy person.

And the thing is, her happiness was infectious.

By the end of the day, I felt as if my grin would now be permanently printed on my face – as long as I was with her.

I was starting to really like the person I was when she was around.

After an incredible, yet tiring day, we entered a warm and cosy tea shop and sat in a dimly lit corner, while the sun was setting on London. Cheerful as Rose was, I could tell that her fingers were numb with cold, and that a good cup of tea and a couple of scones would warm her up.

I ordered a pot of jasmine tea – I guessed rose tea wasn't Rose's favourite, too _cliché_ – and two scones with marmelade. Then I turned to Rose, who curled up against me.

"Did you have a good day?" she whispered against my shoulder with a little girl's voice.

How could I not have had the best day?

"I did," I whispered back.

After six hours that seemed a whole adventure to me, it felt nice to sit in a warm, cosy place, as if it was a bubble just for me and her. Rose seemed to relax a little, too.

"Good," she sighed, "because I have to confess I was flipping out. That you might not like my idea. That I'd screw up our first date. I have to tell you, asking me to choose was a risky idea, mister."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"First of all, you've had more than _one_ idea. Congratulations. And second of all, I'm sorry you flipped out, but I had an amazing day, Rose. Really. I've never been to a movie theatre before. Never eaten thai food. Never been inside Fortnum and Mason. The worst thing is that nobody before you offered me to do these things. I learnt so many new things in one day thanks to you."

I stopped to think about the last thing she'd said.

"And most of all," I added, "you could never have screwed up our first date. Even if we'd spent the entire day in this teashop, it would still have been perfect."

Rose blushed, but she smiled, satisfied. "I agree."

I gently stroke her cheek with my fingers, feeling her skin heat up wherever my fingertips touched it. Then I took her chin in my hand and leant to kiss her.

We kissed until we realized our pot of tea and scones were on the table, brought by a tactful waitress who didn't want to disturb us.

It wasn't my fault if we were getting really good at this.

***

"What, you never took the train before?"

I could tell Rose was trying hard not to burst out laughing – certainly for the sake of my dignity.

The thing was, I was holding on to my seat as if my life depended on it, while throwing frightened glances at the flickering neon lights that labouriously lit the train car. Objectively, I was laughable.

"Well, I never took a _Muggle_ train, that's for sure. This thing rocks like the death trap it probably is."

"Relax, everything's going to be fine," Rose said in her most soothing voice, stroking my hair. "Muggle trains are just as safe as magical trains. Besides, you're the one who insisted on taking me back home, as if I wasn't old enough. And as I'm too young to Apparate yet, you'll have to deal with the consequences : a train ride."

I frowned.

"It's bad enough I didn't come and wait at your door this morning, as a real gentleman would have done on a first date." I said. "I'm simply making up for my mistake."

"Remember we're not supposed to let our families know about our relationship," scowled Rose. "I'd rather you take me back home, like you are doing right now, than pick me up in the morning. At this time of the evening, everybody will be in the living room, waiting for dinner. Whereas in the morning, someone could have decided to wake up early and take a walk in the garden in order to burn a few calories after our Christmas dinner." She smiled at herself, probably remembering the incredible feast they must have had at the Burrow for Christmas. Sometimes, I almost envied her huge, noisy family.

"Thanks for making up excuses for my behaviour," I told her, hugging her tighter. "But next time, I'll come and pick you up, no matter how careful I have to be."

And though she didn't add anything to that, I felt her blush lightly at the thought of our next date. And I already couldn't wait to spend another day with her.

***

The garden and the front windows of the Burrow were dark when Rose pushed open the front gate and led me through the path leading to her house. Although I hated the reasons why we had to sneak around like this, I had to admit this was rather exciting, and Rose was probably feeling the same way - I could tell by the blush on her cheeks and her fast breathing.

We walked a few steps, and she stopped in front of the porch. This was time to say goodbye.

I felt the lump at the back of my throat return. Why did this have to happen _everytime_? OK, boys don't cry, but if I'd known it was because they had to fight back their tears so hard most of the time, I would have given up trying from the beginning.

"Thank you for today," Rose said, her voice a little shaky.

I couldn't understand why she thanked _me_, when I felt I owed _her_ for the perfect time we'd had. I cleared my throat so that my voice wouldn't sound shaky too.

"Thank _you_, Rose," I answered. "Let's do it again soon, OK?"

She seemed to be pretty happy with what I'd just said. There was a sparkle in her eye that let me know she would miss me too until we see each other again.

And then she took me by surprise by throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me without warning.

Boy, was this girl impulsive.

But I would have been a fool to complain, and I eagerly kissed her back.

And we would have kept kissing in front of the porch step until dawn if a loud, male voice, shaking with rage, hadn't interruped us.

**_"ROSE??!!?"_**

_Uh-oh._

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_**

_So, what did you think? The end was a little predictable but I think next chapter will be really fun thanks to it :))_

_Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated! __**Please**__**press the Review button**__ and…_

_Next chapter coming soon!_


	14. And turn every scar into a joke

_Hello everyone !_

_First of all thanks to my beautiful, adorable reviewers, _**_Lunaclaw_**_, _**_mimimi213_**_, _**_vampireadtic_**_, _**_junebugbug96_**_, _**_BlOom_**_, _**_jalapeno1011_**_, _**_Tishica_**_, _**_AprilFlowers96_**_, _**_Druid Star_**_, _**_hypothetic nerd_**_, _**_Lupin4Tonks_**_, _**_XxrandomxX_**_, _**_Chocolatelover68_**_, _**_babiixilyx3_**_, _**_Rhr4eva_**_, _**_yellow 14_**_, _**_-LittleMissMel-_**_ and _**_MrsMargeryLovett_**_ ! Guys, you're the best !_

_There are no words to say how happy you make me. I was wondering what to write for Chapter 14, and your reviews kept coming and really gave me the energy to sit down and write it ! So keep reading, reviewing, adding this story to your favs or alerts, it means so much and you know it ;)_

_Here's Chapter 14. Family confrontations, truths being finally spoken… Scorpius's and Rose's relationship finds new obstacles._

**_Disclaimer:_**_ It would be plain insulting to compare me to JK Rowling. She's just the best. Ergo I don't own Harry Potter._

_I don't own the songs I'm quoting in the chapter titles either, unfortunately. But they're good, and you should listen to them at least once :))_

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**"We are made to bleed and scab and heal and bleed again**

**And turn every scar into a joke"**

Although I wanted to keep my relationship with Scorpius secret and not tell all my family about it, I'd never really given a thought to how I would tell them when the moment comes. I had made it my priority to enjoy the few moments I spent with Scorpius, and I had decided to worry about the future later.

Of course, I never expected the future to happen so soon.

My father was standing on the threshold of the front door, his face scarlet red and his fists curled into balls.

"Rose – _Rose!_ – who – is – this – boy –" he stopped, stammering, obviously looking for the right end to his sentence in his fury, "and – what – are –you – doing – with – HIM?!"

The word _him_ rang so loudly it seemed to shake the whole house. And as I feared, every member of my family – because that was just how lucky I was : this would happen during the Christmas holidays, when everyone was here – was gathering around Ron and throwing curious glances above his shoulders.

I was paralysed, and worst of all, I didn't dare look at Scorpius. I felt so bad – I had thrown him into this unexpected trap – and I was completely embarassed by my father's reaction, because despite his stammering, he knew very well who I was with and what I was doing.

One thought scared me the most, though: how was Scorpius going to react? I was positive it was over. He would never forgive me the humiliation of the scene my father was about to make.

Meanwhile, Ron was still shaking with fury, choking on his own anger. I heard someone run up to him from the inside of the house.

My mum appeared on the threshold, pushing everyone else aside, and stood next to him. Her eyes moved swiftly from Ron to Scorpius and me, and I knew she was evaluating the crisis and wondering how much damage control she could do.

"Whats' going on, honey?" she asked my father with the tone of a grown-up trying to soothe a difficult child. She sounded so genuinely surprised that I almost believed her act, before I intercepted a half-smile on her lips. It almost entirely comforted me: if my mother was smiling, there was no real reason to be afraid.

And I told myself the only way to save my relationship with Scorpius was to anticipate the fight and defend ourselves – I'd rather lose him that have him think I was a coward who'd chicken out in front of her angry father.

"Apparently, Dad doesn't appreciate seeing me with –" I swallowed back the lump forming in my throat – "Scorpius Malfoy."

I could literally hear my entire family gasp, shocked - and even hear Scorpius's mouth pop open in surprise.

As for my father, he seemed to have a lot of things on his mind that he wanted to say – or shout – but he was so furious he was almost chocking, and his face was turning an ugly shade of dark red that was very similar to the color of the jumper - made by GrandMa Molly - that he was wearing.

My mother was the only one who dared talk to him in these situations.

"Ron?" she asked, reproachful. "Can't you offer a better welcome to your daughter's boyfriend? Because," she added, turning to Scorpius, "I suppose that's what you are?"

Scorpius hadn't opened his mouth since the whole Weasley family had arrived on the front porch and was staring at him, whether with a wary, angry or disgusted face. Nevertheless, he seemed very confident when he politely smiled and answered my mum's question:

"Well, I would indeed be the happiest man alive if Rose cared enough for me to call me her boyfriend."

I turned to him, gaping. Was that really what he thought?

"Scorpius," I said before I could stop myself, "you _know_ I consider you my boyfriend. I've never been happier than when I'm with you."

I had just stated something very personal to my boyfriend in front of my entire family – I could see Lily coo from the corner of my eye – but I couldn't care less. The emotion I could see in Scorpius's eyes was worth it.

But my father didn't feel this way. Before anyone could react, he ran down the porch stairs, grabbed Scorpius by the arm and dragged him to the front door.

"YOU!!" he was yelling incoherently, "Young man, you've gone too far. I won't let my daughter – Rose WEASLEY!" he yelled the name _Weasley_ even louder "- call a Malfoy her _boyfriend_! You and me have to sort things out with your father!"

"Ron!" shouted Hermione, and she ran after them, who were now inside the house.

"Dad!" I protested as loud as I could, running after them too.

Why the hell did everything have to be so complicated and dramatic in my family? What was wrong with these people?

I rushed into the living room, followed by my family. Grandma Molly mumbled something about Ron's bad temper, Grandpa Arthur looked devastated by his son's lack of tolerance, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny showed ambivalent faces. As for my cousins and little brother, they looked both excited and offended that they hadn't picked up such a crucial piece of information, despite all the signs that showed their cousin Rose was going out with Scorpius Malfoy.

Inside the living room, Scorpius first caught my eye. My father had let go of his arm, thank Merlin, and Scorpius was standing up straight, his face full of dignity. However, the look he gave me woke up the pain inside my chest: he wasn't showing it, but he felt humiliated, and I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from howling with rage to my father's face. At the same time, my heart was racing at Scorpius's sight, and I felt my entire being attracted to him, irresistibly urging me to hug him as tight as I could. He was so dignified, so beautiful with his ruffled platinum blond hair reflecting the golden-red light of the fire, that it looked like my father was the boy, and Scorpius was the man. _My man_, I thought, and my heart thumped harder against my ribs.

I walked cautiously closer to Scorpius, and when my shoulder touched his, I brushed my fingertips against his hand. His hand flinched slightly, and then his fingers wrapped themselves around mine: I sighed, relieved, happy that everything was not over and that he still wanted me.

Meanwhile, my father was still mumbling incoherently while frantically searching a big wooden box next to the fireplace. Eventually he seemed to have found what he was looking for, because he took out a little metal box and raised it up with a victory look on his face.

I didn't understand what that was about until I heard my mum hiss: "No!"

But it was too late. The moment my father threw a fistful of Floo powder in the fire, I felt my insides freeze over, while Scorpius's fingers tightened instinctively around mine.

The fire instantly turned a bright green, and my father stepped in, bent over so as to fit entirely in the fireplace. And then he shouted : "To the Malfoy Manor!" and he was gone, the fire back to its normal color.

Everybody stayed still for about three seconds.

And then everybody started talking at the same time.

"Oh my God…" Grandma Molly sighed, a hand clutching her heart.

"Oh. My. God!" Lily squealed, jumping around, excited.

"What is he going to do there?" Hermione moaned, biting her nails.

"Well, if Rose wasn't going out with _him_, nothing would ever have happened in the first place!" James said reproachfully.

"Scorpius is not his father, James," Uncle Harry scolded.

"And his father may have changed, too," Aunt Ginny added, throwing Scorpius a look that clearly apologised for the family's bad behaviour.

"Will you please all shut up!?" I suddenly exploded. I just couldn't take this anymore.

"What on earth is the matter with you all? You're all here, telling us what you think is right and wrong, insulting Scorpius… Did anybody even ask themselves who he really is, apart from his lineage? Scorpius is a good person, and he's good to me, and he makes me happy. Shouldn't this be the most important thing to you? _YES_, right? But all you care about is who his father is, who his grandfather is, who his great-grandfather and all the members of his family tree are ! And I thought you of all people would know better than to judge a book by its cover, especially after all you've been through!"

Before anyone had time to react – altough I could tell I'd made them all feel pretty ashamed of themselves, seeing the looks on their faces – the fire turned bright green again, and three people stepped out of the fireplace: my father, and Mr and Mrs Malfoy.

Scorpius tensed next to me. I didn't feel like finishing my speech either. Scorpius's parents looked a little shaken, and very, very displeased. It seemed like my father didn't leave them much choice but to follow him, and my sense of embarassment stung me harder – what a perfect way for our parents to meet, right?

"What is the matter with you, Weasley?" Mr Malfoy drawled, nonchalantly dusting his deep green velvet robes with the palm of his hand – but he nevertheless looked daggers at Ron.

"The matter is, your son – your son! – is going out with my daughter!" Ron stammered again. Despite the fact that I was mortified by my father's attitude, I couldn't help but find _that_ highly entertaining. But now was not the time to let a smile slip.

Mr Malfoy turned to Scorpius, stared at him for a second, and then his eyes found our joined hands. He looked up.

"Is this true, Scorpius?" he said in a cold voice.

"Yes, father, it is." Scorpius answered calmly, his voice unbelievably steady, meeting his father's stare.

Mr Malfoy looked at us a little more. I could feel his thoughts racing, as if he was trying to measure the consequences of his son's choice.

Then he talked to my father.

"Well… I have to admit, Weasley, that I'm not happy about it either. Knowing that my son likes redheads… that's not good news." I felt Scorpius's hand shake with anger in mine, "but to think that maybe, one day, if this brand new love story keeps going, our families may end up tied… this makes me almost sick, you see."

"Don't you think it makes me sick too, when I see my daughter with a descendant of one of the oldest Dark wizarding families of England?" Ron yelled.

"At least we both agree on this point," Mr Malfoy smiled a humourless smile. "Nevertheless, Scorpius is, as you said, a _descendant_ of one of the oldest Dark wizarding families of England. It doesn't mean he _is_ a Dark wizard, nor that he'll be one one day. It doesn't mean my wife and I are dark wizards either, despite my... questionable past."

Ron snorted, but Mr Malfoy continued, unperturbed.

"That is the reason why I won't keep my son from dating your daughter – first of all, because he's much too old for me to forbid him anything – and second of all, because I would like to think that people can change, and that being a member of a given family doesn't entirely determine who you're going to become."

My father was finally silenced, and I almost would have thanked Mr Malfoy for that, if I wasn't as intimidated as I was.

Everyone in the living room seemed to meditate these words. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the fire crackling.

Then Mr malfoy gently took his wife by the arm and turned to Scorpius.

"Let's go, son. It's getting late, and I bet there're been enough emotions for today."

Indeed. I had completely forgotten about our date, and the whole day suddenly felt like an emotional roller coaster to me.

Scorpius's eyes met mine. I guess his expression mirrorred mine exactly : mad at our parents' behaviour, sad to leave each other, worrying about when we would meet again, and frustrated that we had to say goodbye that way – for now.

He gently squeezed my hand in his and whispered so softly that I was the only one to hear:

"We'll keep in touch, OK?"

Then he let go of my hand. He was about to follow his parents when I heard my mum shout:

"Wait!"

The three Malfoys froze in from of the fire, and my father looked at his wife wide-eyed.

"Look," Hermione said to the Malfoys, "I know our relationship has been tense since Hogwarts – to be honest, you never made any effort to make it more friendly, Draco, calling us bloodtraitors and Mudbloods whenever you had the chance."

Oh wait. Was that Mr Malfoy blushing?

"And as for us, if we had been able to think past our childish rivalries, we might have been able to avoid you the spiral of violence and evil you've been trapped into during the War. But none of us helped the other, and see what happened. Today, Rose and Scorpius taught us a lesson. They showed us it is possible to accept the other despite the prejudices and the differences we all carry with us. And look how happy they look together."

It was our turn to blush now.

"My point is," Hermione continued, "people can turn out to be very alike, no matter how it looks in the first place. Even you, Draco. You could have chosen to be a Dark wizard. Instead, you understood the life of hate, danger and solitude you'd have imposed to yourself. And you chose to marry this charming woman, even though she wasn't a hundred percent pureblood like the rest of your family, and you both taught your son how to be a decent man. So I hope this will bring our families closer, instead of tearing us further apart than we already are."

Hermione stopped talking. In the following silence I felt the strange urge to applaud for what she had just said – but Mrs Malfoy more or less answered my thoughts.

"Thank you, Hermione. I also think our husbands are being a little extreme here, whereas I'm just happy to see my son happy. I won't judge his choice of a girlfriend. I trust him, and I'm sure Miss Weasley is a good person too, if my son wants to be with her."

Mrs Malfoy's words moved me almost more than all the others'. I timidly looked up at her and mouthed a _thank you_. Hermione nodded, glowing with happiness and dignity, and Ron looked at his shoes, a little ashamed of himself – so did most of my family, humbled by my mum's and Scorpius's mum's speeches.

"Goodbye, Hermione, and thank you." Mrs Malfoy said. She threw a handful of Floo powder in the fire and stepped into the green flames, followed by her husband and son.

"Goodbye, Astoria," my mum said, "and please, keep in touch."

And Scorpius threw me one last smile before disappearing.

* * *

_So, what did you think? _

_Comments, suggestions, criticism if you give me feedback (and even praise if you feel like it) appreciated! __**Please press the Review button**__ and…_

_Next chapter coming soon!_


	15. Ooh I'll be the one to break my heart

_Hello everyone!_

_A big hug to my lovely reviewers : thanks so much _**_MrsMargeryLovett_**_, _**_yellow 14_**_, _**_XxrandomxX_**_, _**_Avanell_**_, _**_LittleMissMel_**_,_**_ hypothetic nerd_**_, _**_Lavender Fleetfoot_**_, _**_Airstreamlover_**_, _**_Aphrodite100_**_, _**_D4ncingD4wn_**_, _**_BloOm_**_, _**_Rhr4eva_**_, _**_junebugbug96_**_, _**_RA_**_, _**_babiixilyx3_**_, _**_Tishica_**_, and _**_crazyreaderduh_**_ for your reviews. I'm happy you loved Chapter 14! _

_So keep reading, reviewing, adding this story to your favorites and alerts, it keeps me going!_

_About Chapter 15: sorry it took me so long to update. I've just started a new job and it's very time-consuming. I wish I could write more often, but from now on updates will slow down a little. It doesn't mean I'm giving up on Scorpius and Rose :)) So. There's a big step for Scorpius and Rose in this chapter. Plus this one is longer than usual and it was also harder to write. I knew what to write for the beginning and for the end, so the real trouble was about the middle. I hope you'll like it anyway!_

_**Disclaimer:** I truly wish I had the courage to write seven big books about a little wizard and his friends. As I'm only writing fanfiction, I guess it's quite obvious than I'm not JK Rowling, hence I own nothing. And I don't own the songs quoted in the chapter titles either._

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**"Ooh I'll be the one to break my heart**

**I'll be the one to hold the gun"**

January 4th.

Finally.

The day I'd been waiting for since I left Hogwarts for the holidays.

I was on platform 9 ¾ at 8 o'clock this morning, and my parents were with me. My eyes were anxiously scanning the crowd. Obviously, looking for Rose in the middle of red-haired people was now a reflex for me.

Our parents made our life difficult those last few days. On my side, my father didn't dare say anything, though he showed me his disapproval by openly sulking whenever I was around. But on Rose's side, it was a whole different story.

After the events of December 26th – the day of our perfect date, that had ended in the least perfect way possible – Rose's father had grounded her – which Rose responded to by starting a silence strike. She stopped talking to him, and knowing she avenged herself made me secretly happy.

As I had asked her before I left her house that night, we kept in touch. This forced us to go to great lengths imagination-wise, but we found ways to communicate. We wrote to each other three times a day – sometimes just to write somthing, just because it felt nice to say hello. Fortunately, Rose's father had not thought about spying on the comings and goings of post owls around his house, and, according to Rose, her cousin Lily was only too happy to hide our correspondence to Mr Weasley, because she had decided that "a lost cause was sexy".

Indeed, she was the one guarding the door the few times I visited Rose through the Floo network. I'd only let my head out of the fire, because stepping out of the fire would have made too much noise to stay unnoticed. We would talk for a few minutes, as long as it took to memorize each other's face again. Everytime my heart raced in my chest : not because I was scared someone might catch us, but because my feelings for Rose seemed to have taken frightening proportions. Which was a good thing, I mean. Yes, I felt extraordinarily good with her. Like I would never have thought I could feel with a girl. Girls had always seemed a little alien to me – pretty, attractive, but alien – but with Rose everything was easy. Everything was simple, natural, uncomplicated. Even the way we started dating, when I came to think about it – like it was the only thing we could do.

That is why, when she leaned over me from her fireplace, I would talk about other things : the long walks I took in the park of my parents's manor – thinking about her – all the Muggle books I read – thinking about her – the long hours I spent lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling – daydreaming about her. She would tell me about her family, how everything went in the Burrow, her daily joys and sorrows, and I sympathised entirely, with all my heart.

We also talked about Hogwarts. Now our relationship wasn't a secret anymore, we had decided to also be an official couple at school. And to turn down any tactless question and any provocation – because I knew the Slytherins wouldn't let go of this one so easily. Despite all that, the idea of going back to Hogwarts – and to Rose – made me incredibly happy. Because at school, no one would stop us from spending as much time as we wanted together.

That's what I was thinking about while looking for her in front of the big black and red train, when I finally saw her the moment she saw me. My heart made such a huge leap in my chest that I feared it might take off. She smiled her brilliant smile at me and then made a face that was clearly addressed to her family. I couldn't help bursting out laughing at her childish gesture.

"What's so funny, Scorpius?" I heard a familiar, nonchalant male voice behind me.

"SCORP!!" Another familiar voice, a female one, squealed at the same time.

And Agnes Hysler jumped out from behind me, hugging me in a typical happy-new-year hug.

"Happy New Year, Scorp!" she laughed.

"You have to tell us _everything_!" Leo patted my back.

Well… Maybe I hadn't been as strict as I should have when it came to our _no answering to tactless questions_ policy with Rose. Did it really count? I'd only talked about it to my two best friends.

Behind Leo and Agnes, I spotted Rose's half-questioning, half-offended face. Totally understandable, as I had just been hugged passionately by another girl in front of her. But what could I do? Go hug her in front of her father, so that he could jinx me off to oblivion? So I turned to my friends and said in a low voice: "Later. In the train. I'll introduce her to you."

Leo and Agnes didn't say a word, but they exchanged a glance, and their eyes sparkled with excitment.

***

"Rose? Do you mind coming with me? It will only take a minute."

I was looking inside Rose's compartment. A compartment that could have been labeled _Weasley_ considering how everyone in there was red-haired and freckled – except Albus Potter – and was looking at me with a slightly wary look – except Rose, thankfully.

"Sure", she said, loud enough so that nobody had any doubt about her willingness to follow me.

She got up and walked out of the compartment, shutting the door behind her.

"Thanks for coming and rescuing me", she said – after giving me a kiss so fiery that I'd almost forgotten why I came to rescue her in the first place.

"You're welcome," I said. "I just wanted you to meet my friends. After all, I've been introduced to your family during the holidays, and you deserve to know them, too."

"Sorry for that," she whispered, lowering her head.

"Are you kidding? I know it was a tough moment, but eventually we had to go public, right? Better sooner than later. Plus, there's no need to hide anymore, and we can spend as much time as we want together -" I stopped talking, fearing I had said too much, "- I mean, I don't want to take up all your time of course…"

"_Please_." she interrupted. "Feel free to take up all the time you want. I'm not particularly fond of my family these days, and I'd much rather spend time with you than with them."

I chuckled. "Right. Me too."

She raised an eyebrow, and then burst out laughing.

We walked three train cars before finding Leo's and Agnes's compartment.

"Are you ready?" I asked Rose.

"Yes. "

I opened the door, and the heads of my best friends turned around to see us, perfectly synchronized. Rose smiled her most lovable smile to them.

"Hey," she said.

"Guys, this is Rose. Rose, this is Leopold Zabini…"

"Please, call me Leo," Leo winked at Rose.

"…and Agnes Hysler."

"Nice to meet you, Rose," Agnes smiled.

Rose sat down opposite Leo and Agnes, and I sat next to her, close enough so that she felt supported without feeling stifled.

"So, you're Scorpius's new girlfriend," asked Agnes. Putting her foot in it, as always.

"I think I am, yes," Rose answered politely, but her cheeks turned slightly pinker.

"Much prettier than the previous ones," added Leo.

Rose didn't say anything, but she blushed harder, and she smiled, looking a little relieved. _Girls_.

"I heard Christmas holidays were eventful for both of you," Agnes said. "I hope Scorpius apologised for his father. He's always so cold. And he would just love Scorpius to go out with the perfect pure-blood girl. But he would never admit it, because he's learnt his lesson after the War, and he wants his son to make his own choices."

"Oh, I really can't say anything about Mr Malfoy. My father was much worse," Rose said. "I know he'll get over it – it will take some time, but he will – our fathers love us despite what they say, and they probably just need a little more time than the average parents to register the fact that their children may not make the same choices as theirs."

Agnes and Leo looked at each other. I think they liked Rose's answer.

"It's very mature of you. It must be hard." Agnes said.

"It's OK," Rose shrugged, "I stopped talking to my father until today, when he cracked up and almost took back everything he said when he grabbed the fact I was leaving for six months. I'm not proud of it, but at least I had quiet holidays."

"That's nice," Leo said, "I wish my father had done the same – he insisted to meet Agnes 'officially' all the holidays."

"Which was stupid, because we already know each other, and anyway, I was in France visiting my family." Agnes specified.

"So, yeah, somehow, you guys are the lucky ones", Leo chuckled.

"I hope you'll come see us often, Rose," Agnes added.

"Oh, if it's a way to make my cousins madder, I definitely will!" Rose said jokingly.

Agnes and Leo laughed. I could tell they already liked Rose. Well, at least this year had started better than the last one had ended.

***

January was ending, February was starting, and a lot had gone on at Hogwarts since the day the term started. The grounds of the castle were still covered in snow, the weather was still freezing cold, but the days grew imperceptibly longer, and this was enough to lighten the mood after the holidays.

Rose and I – I really didn't have words to describe how happy we were together. Well, I knew _I _was. But the amazing thing with Rose was that I had no doubt she was happy, too. She simply radiated happiness, although I wasn't not sure she was aware of it as much as I was. Maybe it was just the way she was, but it made me feel happy, and safe, and confident. Besides, we spent so much time together that I truly hoped she was happy, otherwise I couldn't understand why she was wasting her time with me.

The weird thing was, it felt like people _envied_ us. I noticed the looks the other students gave us when we walked hand in hand in the corridors with Rose – disgusted looks from the Slytherins, angry looks from some Gryffindors, but mostly lots of looks sparkling with envy. I wondered why they were acting like that, especially as no couple in Hogwarts had ever had this effect on me. No couple in Hogwarts had ever had this effect on Rose either, apparently. But then, no couple in Hogwarts had ever been like us : tied by true affection, so strong it braved all our differences. I suppose that's why the other students envied us.

Fortunately, in our everyday life, being Hogwarts's most famous couple wasn't a problem. My only problem was much more mundane : it was the beginning of February, and Valentine's Day was coming closer.

And I had no idea what Rose would like to do.

I wasn't thinking about gifts, of course. I knew what I was going to give her, because I had already found it: an antique edition of the most famous Shakespeare plays – a Muggle author I had never heard of before walking into this small bookstore in London. I had seen it during a walk I took in the city – a habit I had taken on after my date with Rose. The bookseller had assured me it was the ideal gift for anyone who loved literature. Rose did, and I was simply fascinated by the beauty of the book. After I bought it and turned a few pages, I'd found the text griping and beautiful too.

Yeah, Rose would love this gift.

My problem was to find the setting in which I would give her her Valentine's Day present. I didn't want to go back to Hogsmeade, it would be too crowded, too common – and I sure didn't want to go back to Mrs Puddifoot's teashop, where all the Valentine's couples could go. It was too _cliché_ for Rose, and I knew she hated _clichés_ – unless she willingly chose to play along with them.

We could spend some time in my room, but this had almost become a habit now, as Rose came to my room everytime my roomates were gone. Oh, we hadn't done anything yet – not that I didn't want to, Rose was the prettiest, sweetest girl I'd ever held in my arms – but I didn't want to hurry things up. What we had was too perfect for me to ruin it like that.

But we sure kissed a lot, especially when we were lying on my bed, all alone. Since I'd started dating Rose, my roomates – probably on Leo's initiative – would magically leave the room whenever I was around. But for Valentine's night, I would have wanted something a lot more romantic than that – I would have wanted to create a atmosphere so romantic she would want to kiss me – of course – but also to talk. Yes, that's how much I loved her.

I decided the best way to find out what she would like was to directly ask her when we would have a moment alone.

The moment came faster than I expected. On Monday morning, when Rose and I and a few sixth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins gathered in front of the Advanced Potions classroom, Professor Longbottom hurried down to find us and told us the class was dismissed due to Professor Slughorn's contagious flu. I decided to ignore Longbottom's disapproving glare when I took Rose's hand, and said:

"Two free hours! That's a good start for the week -" I changed my tone as soon as I saw her frowning at me, "I mean, what happened to Professor Slughorn is too bad, and we'll lose two precious hours of Potions, but there's still snow on the grounds, and it's a beautiful day. I thought we could go for a walk – alone."

Rose's eyes sparkled at my offer.

"I'd love to! Let's go!" and she literally dragged me out of the Potions dungeon.

Outside, the air was so cold it made it hard to breathe, but otherwise it was a invigorating sensation. Rose and I enjoyed the morning sunlight on our faces for a while, walking in silence in the snow, and then we stopped next to the great willow, in front of the lake.

Rose turned to look at me, her cheeks and nose pink from the cold. As usual, I almost forgot what I was here to talk about when I looked at her. I gave her a light kiss on the lips and she smiled, radiating well-being. My heart was beating so erratically it almost hurt. But it was doing that everytime I was around her, so I was getting used to it now.

"Rose, I wanted to ask you something," I started. "Something any good boyfriend wouldn't have to ask. But I'm rather new to all this -" she raised a doubtful eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips "- OK, maybe not new, but you know what I mean. With you, it's different." I saw her blush and lower her eyes. She knew I had a point.

"You're a good boyfriend, Scorpius," she said. "Maybe even the best." OK, now she was pulling my leg, I could tell by the playful sparkle in her eye. "So, what did you want to ask me?" she reminded me.

"It's about Valentine's Day," I said. "I'd like us to do something special, something about _us_, you know? And most of all I'd like to do something _you_'d like to do. That's why I wanted to ask you first. Altough if what you want is a surprise, you can tell me, and I'll arrange that. And you'll just pretend this conversation never happened."

"Is that what you want to know? What would make me happy for Valentine's Day?" she interrupted.

"Yes…?" I hesitated, surprised by her strong reaction.

"What would make me happy?" she said again, to herself this time.

But she didn't answer her own question. Instead, she curled her arms around my neck, stroke my hair with her gloved hands and kissed me.

I was starting to think that the girl had a rather short attention span when she deepened the kiss a little more passionately than usual, and something finally clicked in my brain.

I pulled her gently away, holding her by the shoulders. I gave her a quizzical look, and she held my gaze, a provocative little smile on her face.

And just then I knew what she wanted for Valentine's Day. Something I had not dared dream about – let alone ask her.

"Really?" My voice involuntarily came out as a whisper, stretching the word _really_ in a way I immediately found ridiculous.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, you idiot." I hoped she meant it in a nice way. "I trust you. I feel good when I'm with you. I know you feel the same about me. And…" she stretched her hand towards me and stroke my cheek "– I want you."

There was a silence. I was trying to remember how to blink, how to swallow. Because my body was in desperate need to do these things, but it seemed frozen at the same time.

Rose looked at me curiously, then anxiously. _C__ome on, say something, Scorp, or she'll think you're rejecting her._

"Are you sure?" was all I could manage. I stretched the word _sure_ for too long and it sounded ridiculous again. I'd better have shut up. I had to stop doing this, for Merlin's sake.

"Look, Scorpius, if you don't want to, we can just drop the matter, OK?" _Oh shit, she sounded upset now. Congratulations, Scorp, you managed to make your girlfriend think you don't want to sleep with her and now she's hurt. Understandable._

"No, Rose, look!" I said forcefully, forcing her to look at me and listen. "Rose, I'd LOVE to. You're perfect. You're beautiful. You're funny. You're like no other girl I've known. I just want you to know it means something to me, too, and you don't have to do this unless you feel a hundred per cent ready."

She gave me a wary look.

"Don't be such a girl, _Malfoy_." Ouch. This sounded harsh, coming from her. "And please don't make me feel like I'm begging you. 'Cause i'd rather snog Judy Fycus than do that."

Eurgh. I'd never allow that. Fycus was the most repulsive creature in the entire world.

"Rose." I held her shoulders again, making her stand still. "Let's not fight over this. We'll do what you want that night, OK? And be sure you'll never, ever have to beg."

I guess the appraising look I gave her proved her I was telling the truth, because she relaxed a bit and sighed. She turned her head towards the lake which was sparkling blindingly in the morning winter sun.

I gazed at her for a moment, thinking about the conversation we'd just had.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked eventually.

"I'm thinking about Valentine's Day. Thinking about how it will be." she murmured.

"It will be perfect, no matter what." I asnwered. And deep down I knew I meant it.

"Yes," she whispered, and then she turned to look at me. There was an emotion in her eyes, one so strong it almost hurt. I couldn't tell what it was, because Rose's face looked almost desperate, when there was really no reason to feel that way.

Then she wrapped her fingers around mine again, and we walked back to the castle together, meditating in silence what we'd just said.

***

Valentine's Day couldn't have gotten there faster, and still the wait was a really tough time for me. Oh, it felt good, of course. The anticipation, the wait, the wondering – how would it be ? Would she be happy ? Would it be unforgettable ? – all this was the good part.

The bad part was that I hadn't slept in ten days. And that I felt so nervous I had almost stopped eating. It turned out anticipation wasn't always a good thing.

That's probably why Agnes snapped, in the middle of dinner in the evening of February 13th.

"Scorpius! Will you please stop playing with your food, or I'll feed it to you myself?!"

I looked up at her, startled.

"What?"

"You've got to eat something pal, or you'll grow even paler," Leo stepped in. "You don't want vampire hunters to start going after you, do you?"

"And I'm just _so_ tired of watching you nibble at a potatoe and leave the rest of your food untouched, like you're some girl on a diet." Agnes growled. "I swear it makes me so mad I could stuff them in your mouth myself!"

"Calm down, Agnes!" I protested. "It's just that I don't feel that hungry these days."

"Saving up some appetite for Valentine's Day, huh?" Leo winked at me. How could he make something so common sound so disgusting ?

But I wasn't in the mood for word plays, and I had promised Rose I wouldn't answer tactless questions about us. So I answered Leo's question literally.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I'm planning to have dinner with Rose tomorrow night."

That was enough to divert Leo's attention from his first question.

"Cool… Tell us more!" said Agnes, leaning towards me.

"Well, I was thinking of throwing you guys out of our room," I gestured to Leo, who mumbled 'already taken care of, pal', "- and I'll order something refined from our kitchen house elves."

"So… what? You'll eat, and then go to bed, each in your room?" Agnes asked me as innocently as she could, but I was no fool: her eyes sparkled mischievously. Leo was staring at me, a little too curious to look innocent, too.

"No… I'll give her her Valentine's present. A Muggle book I hope she'll like. And then… we'll do whatever she wants."

Well, I hadn't said too much about our earlier conversation with Rose, and I hadn't lied to my friends either. Perfect compromise.

Leo laughed a derisive laugh.

"You'll never do anything, then."

"Shut up, Leo," Agnes scolded.

"It's true! If I had waited for you to throw yourself at me, I'd still be waiting!" Leo said jokingly, making a face.

"Yeah, _right_," Agnes scoffed. "Mister Zabini was such a princess I did have to throw myslef at him to score."

Leo laughed. "It's true. Thanks for hurrying things up, honey."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Agnes smiled and leant to kiss her boyfriend on the mouth.

I didn't add anything, too glad they had momentarily forgotten about me – and I felt a little better knowing my friends had gone through the same things.

And it also made me wonder what had happened to us boys and girls, for the roles to be so radically reversed. Well, I could only think of one answer : love made boys more shy and girls more free…

***

Februrary 14th, eight o'clock in the morning. I woke up instantly when the alarm rang, sat up on my bed, rubbed the sleep off my eyes and ran my hand through my hair. I got up, got dressed and headed for the Great Hall in zombie-like motions. I couldn't think about Rose, because I was already trying very hard to mute the part of me that was freaking out.

I opened the door and the Hall burst in my face, all yells and laughs and excitement. Huge red hearts hung from the Enchanted Ceiling, and every table was decorated with smaller hearts and red ribbons.

I sighed. Valentine's spirit would be hard to escape from.

I sat at the Slytherin table and searched for Rose at the Gryffindor table. There she was, smiling at me, looking fresh and confident, and certainly a lot better than I felt. I could actually feel the dark circles that had formed under my eyes after too many sleepless nights. I was as anxious as I was excited. And I was grateful that Rose kept her excitment under control, instead of waving frantically at me like some other girls did in the Hall. She knew me well.

Nevertheless, after breakfast, she came to my table and sat down on the bench next to me. I took her hand and gave it a little kiss – I didn't want to be too demonstrative in front of the Slytherins, didn't want any of my housemates to start joking about us.

"What are the plans for tonight?" she asked, leaning on me so that her mouth almost touched my ear. I knew she was only doing this to prevent us from being heard, but it still sent shivers down my spine.

"Well…" I cleared my throat, trying to make my voice sound manlier, "I'll wait for you in front of the Slytherin common room at eight tonight. Is that OK with you?"

"It's perfect," she smiled against my cheek. It would be only seconds before I started trembling. Fortunately for me, she got up and said, "See you tonight, Scorpius!" and left in a whirlwind of fiery red hair.

I breathed out, and straightened up. Twelve more hours before tonight.

***

I couldn't remember being that nervous before. I had not felt that nervous when I was waiting for the letter from Hogwarts telling me I was officially a wizard. I had not felt that nervous when I was sitting for my OWLs. And I sure never had felt that nervous on a Valentine's Day before. This one was the exception.

And I was praying for the minutes to go by faster, so that Rose could be here and the torture of anxiety could stop.

I was wearing my best pair of jeans, a white shirt and a grey jacket. I had a feeling Rose liked Muggle clothes better, and I wanted to wear something that made me look good, but not too formal – I was nervous enough without wearing a tux, thank you.

The hand of the clock stopped on the eight and I heard light footsteps coming down the stairs to the Slytherin dungeon. Rose appeared on top of the stairs, dressed in a simple but very pretty deep green dress. She was smiling but her eyes gave away the same nervousness that I felt.

When she saw me, she ran down the stairs and threw herself at me, hugging me as if we hadn't seen each other in weeks. I hugged her back, a little bewildered. Well, bewildered was a nice change after days of nervous.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," she smiled back.

We kissed, and all nervousness was gone. I realized I'd been so focused on tonight that I had almost forgotten to just _enjoy_ our kisses.

When we let go of each other, I took her hand and led her inside the Slytherin common room. Thankfully, most Slytherins were in Hogsmeade tonight – Leo had even rent a romantic hotel room to spend the night with Agnes – and the few young ones who had stayed in Hogwarts didn't dare comment on Rose and I as we walked through the room and up the stairs to my dorm.

When we arrived in my room, I turned to watch Rose's reaction. Her eyes grew wide with awe, and she stared at the candelit room for a moment, before her gaze met the little table and two chairs standing in the middle of the room. The table was laid with round, white china plates, so delicate they were almost transparent. It was only decorated with a bouquet of yellow and purple pansies and a few candles, but I couldn't help but feel proud of my decorating skills – it was always better to keep it simple, unlike what I'd seen all my life in the Malfoy Manor.

And Rose's smile was so worth it.

"Scorpius…" she said – her voice slightly broken. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it."

"_Like_ it? I _love_ it. It's the most romantic thing I've ever seen."

"Coming from you, _cliché_ hater –" I squeezed her hand playfully, "it's a compliment."

She laughed quietly.

We walked to the table and sat down. Dinner appeared in our plates, sent by the house elves – I had to go thank them for it later, because everything was even more delicious than the food they served during regular Hogwarts meals.

After the chocolate _soufflé_ – almost better than Grandma Molly's pudding, according to Rose – I took the gift I wanted to give her, wrapped in silky pink paper, and handed it to Rose.

"Just a little Valentine's Day present," I said when she threw me a startled look.

"I haven't brought you a present," she gasped. "I feel terrible."

"Oh no, please don't," I said. "You'll give me one later, if you want. This way it will be a complete surprise!"

She smiled thoughtfully, but she seemed to like the idea of surprising me.

"OK then. It's a deal," and she unwrapped her present. She looked at the unwrapped book with awe, just as she looked at the room when she arrived here. I took it as a good sign.

It was.

"Scorpius…" she said. She looked at me with tear-filled eyes, stood up, walked the few steps that separated her from me and threw her arms around my neck.

"That's the most perfect present anyone has ever given me."

And then it was hard to tell what was happening. When Rose kissed me like that, it was always hard to tell what was happening. The only thing I could remember was kissing her back as passionately as she did, and forgetting about everything else...

Rose yanking me by the collar of my shirt brought me back to reality though. I looked around and realised we were now sitting on my bed, our breathing faster, our hair ruffled.

Rose stroke my cheek lightly, her eyes strangely unfocused, and leant on me as if to kiss me again…

"Rose, stop."

She froze, but the look she gave me was pure fire. And I knew it meant she was mad at me right now. But I had to talk about it anyway.

"Rose, there's really no hurry. Things are great the way they are, and I can wait until you're ready. You don't have to do anything hasty."

"NO!" she bursted out so suddenly that I startled.

"No, you _listen_ to me, Scorpius Malfoy. I thought you knew me. I thought you understood me better than anyone else in the world. So when will you quit treating me like a fragile little doll -" she stood up while saying this, started walking away from my bed, " - who doesn't know what she wants, and who would do anything to keep a guy?!"

She strode off to the door, and I got up. No. That couldn't be it. I couldn't lose her just because of my stupid righteousness.

"I know what I want, Scorpius. I want _you_. But if you're too scared to handle it –" she put her hand on the doorknob and it rang an alarm in my brain. I couldn't let this happen.

"_I love you_, OK?!" It was my turn to burst out. "I've never loved anyone the way I love you, _never_! And yes, Rose, I want you too, I want every part of you, but I'm scared! I've never felt anything like this before. But if you want to walk out that door, fine by me!"

And then I turned my back on her, arms crossed, shaking with fury – why did she have to make things so complicated ? – and fear – that's is, she'll leave me now.

But I heard Rose's little voice behind me.

"I'm scared, too."

She took a step in my direction.

"But I still want it to happen."

I could feel her breath on my neck.

"'Cause Scorpius, we're _made_ for each other."

I turned around, but I didn't dare look her in the eye yet.

"And I love you too."

We sat down on the bed, barely breathing now.

"More than anyone else in the world."

And we lied down together on the warm covers.

* * *

_So, dear readers, what did you think? Reviews highly appreciated, and I have no problem with criticism as long as it's constructive, so please give me feedback ^^_

_Press the little Review button and... keep in touch for Chapter 16!_


	16. I'm a new soul

_Hello everyone!_

_A big hug to my lovely reviewers :)): thanks so much__ for your feedback, PM and reviews. I'm happy you loved Chapter 15 because that was a tricky one to write! This chapter is dedicated to you._

_So keep reading, reviewing, adding this story to your favorites and alerts, every review matters and it keeps me going!_

_About Chapter 16: sorry it took me sooooo long to update. I'm on a new job and it's very time-consuming - like, I come back home at 10pm, and I don't have the energy to write... I wish I could write more often, but as I told you from now on updates will slow down a little. It doesn't mean I'm giving up on this story, which will eventually come to an end in the next chapters - don't know how yet, so suggestions are welcome. So stay tuned!_

_A/N : unbetaed._

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. There. I can't think of any other new way to way that. And I don't own the songs quoted in the chapter titles either._

* * *

_**'I'm a new soul, I came to this strange world hoping**_

_**I could learn a bit 'bout what is true and fake'**_

It took me some time to switch back to consciousness this morning.

I felt incredibly good. My entire being felt comfortable, safe. My head was swimming in an ocean as white and light as the clouds. But something in the back of my head reminded me that I had to wake up, that it was worth it…

I opened one eye, then another. At first, I thought I was still dreaming, because all I could see was a blinding white light. I blinked twice. Actually, I wasn't dreaming anymore. It was better than a dream. The bright light was the sun, coming out of the big window, flooding the room.

I squirmed a little under the covers. I felt something warm wrapped under the back of my neck and around my waist. I stretched my hand slowly, reaching to check what it was. I felt a strong arm, gently wrapped around my waist. The hand, resting above my belly button, twitched unconsciously at my touch.

And my heart immediately sped up : _Scorpius_.

I slowly turned my head towards him. He was still sleeping, his head slightly above mine, his steady breathing the most soothing sound I had ever heard. His hair was more ruffled than ever, and its platinum blonde strands shone like a golden halo around his head.

_My angel_, I thought. My guardian angel, actually, seeing how protective he'd been last night. Too bad for him I had enough devil in me to overthrow the angel.

I laid my head on his chest, lost myself in the scent of his skin. I had never smelled anything that addictive and that touching at the same time. I lightly stroked his skin with the tips of my fingers. Who would have believed a boy could have such a soft skin ? He had a perfect body, the body of a Quidditch Captain, that was for sure. Yet, under my fingers, his skin had nothing to do with the rough leather one would have imagined on an athletic boy.

And my heart inflated, grew bigger by the minute - it probably feared to be overwelmed by the love I felt if it didn't make more space for it. I felt brand new, as if my life was beginning at this very minute. Like a new soul, ready for this new adventure.

I smiled happily at my Scorpius, who was sleeping peacefully against me, and I raised my head to watch him. I felt the urge to kiss him awake, to share the change in my life with him. I stretched my neck and kissed him lightly on the lips.

He stretched a little in his sleep and his leg touched mine. This seemed to remind him where he was – and with who – because he blinked and looked at me sleepily. At my sight, he smiled a small, crooked smile and stood up on his elbow, a strand of blond hair falling in his eye. He was so unbelievably sexy right now that I could have screamed hysterically like a groupie. But I had my pride, and I kept my mouth shut.

"Morning," he said, his voice a little hoarse from sleep.

"Morning," I said back, and my smile grew even bigger.

He touched my cheek with the back of his hand, lightly, lovingly. I shivered.

"How do you feel?" he asked. I wasn't fooled by his casual tone. I knew he was still worried about last night.

"Never felt better," I smiled, eyes half-closed with happiness.

"Neither did I," he said, thoughtfully. "How strange. It's been the longest night of my life, and yet I feel perfectly fine this morning."

"Me too. It's because I never get bored when I'm with you, no matter how long the night."

He laughed.

"No, really. Thank you for convincing me. I was so stupid. Stuck in my prejudices of what's good and bad. I'd never thought of how obvious it was for you and me. How much we belong together."

I believe than if my heart hadn't already grown twice its size to host all this happiness, it would have bursted with Scorpius's words.

"I always knew it was you, Scorpius," I whispered, suddenly shy. "I always knew you were the one, from the moment I first saw you in King's Cross, on our first day at Hogwarts. I knew you were different, that you didn't exactly fit in, just like I felt. No wonder we ended up together despite all the obstacles."

His eyes were opening wider and wider as I spoke.

"Incredible. That's _exactly_ how I felt the first time I saw you! I always thought you were more interesting than the people I already knew. Different. I was curious, and I fought against it for years, before giving in."

"I'm happy we both gave in to our curiousity," I sighed contently. "Think of everything we'd have missed otherwise."

We both stopped to think about it, and we shivered together. No, it couldn't have happened. My life had begun with Scorpius. Before meeting him, my life was a big empty room, with a few books on the shelves, and sometimes members of my family came to visit it, but that was all. Scorpius had filled the room with life, warmth and light. I still couldn't explain how it had happened, but it had, and it felt perfect.

Maybe we did live in a magical world after all.

He held me tight in his arms, kissed my hair. I felt overwhelmed by the scent of his skin, its softness. I could have stayed like this forever.

But we had to get up, because we didn't own the room. And after all, if we wanted to avoid embarassing questions, we'd better go to the Great Hall soon, get breakfast and pretend nothing had happened.

Easier said than done. Pretend nothing had happened when I'd just had the best night of my life was an art I wasn't familiar with yet.

I squirmed in Scorpius's arms.

"Scorpius?"

"Yeah?" His voice was still slightly husky, no louder than a whisper.

"We should go to the Great Hall for breakfast, shouldn't we? I don't want to ruin this moment by being subjected to the entire school's questioning looks."

"Right… I completely forgot about the outside world, actually."

We both sighed, looking at the ceiling above the four-poster bed. None of us wanted to tear ourselves from this magic moment, even less in order to go back to a reality as mundane as Hogwarts's gossip – because there would be gossip on the day after Valentine's Day, I had no doubt about that.

We got up, suddenly shy, and we got dressed quickly, not looking at each other. I just hoped Lily and Charlotte wouldn't notice I was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Scorpius could change clothes – even though his friends already knew he had not spent the night alone, considering they'd left him the room – and the price to pay was certainly a detailed review of what had happened last night.

***

When I sat down at the Gryffindor table, I couldn't help but let my eyes follow Scorpius as he walked along the Slytherin table to meet his friends. I still couldn't register the fact that he was _mine_, that this handsome, athletic, smart and sensitive boy was mine. In the morning light, he reminded me of an angel once again – so pure, so perfect.

My gaze must have been telling enough because the girls didn't even stop to notice my clothes.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Charlotte grab the edge of the table and Lily almost choke with a gulp of pumpkin juice. OK, they had guessed what had happened just by seeing me looking at my boyfriend. I really couldn't keep a secret from them, could I?

"Oh. My. God." Lily choked.

"Spare us no detail." Charlotte said flatly, but with frighteningly eager eyes.

I was trapped. I had to confess everything. But not here, not now, not with my cousins' curious eyes watching me after the girls' reaction.

"OK then. We'll meet this afternoon in our room. I think it will be free, Cassandra, Deborah and Adithi all had a date yesterday evening, and they probably want to spend their Sunday with them. Don't tell anyone else about it, understood? Or I won't say a word."

They nodded fervently, and I could only hope that the perspective of hearing a gossip before everyone else would be enough to shut them up for a while.

***

Scorpius and I met again in the evening on the landing at the top of the seventh floor stairs, as we had decided during the day - we had sent each other at least ten owls before I found the perfect place to go. I was still tense from my afternoon with the girls. Charlotte and Lily went literally hysterical when I told them about last night. I suspected they were a little envious of me dating one of the most mysterious and attractive boys in Hogwarts – even though Charlotte dated Ed Jordan, who wasn't the worst either. They had started predicting how my story with Scorpius would go – when we would get married, what wedding dress I would wear, how we would call our children…- questions I had never thought of and that sort of stressed me out.

I had made them swear not to say anything in exchange for this story – I was no fool though, and I knew the gossip would come out one way or another – and I made an escape while Lily and Charlotte were too taken by their discussion – should my wedding dress be white or ecru – to notice I was leaving to meet Scorpius.

I was sitting on the top of the stairs when I heard him walk up. I looked up, only to be reminded of his impossible good looks. His smile dazzled me and I once again felt the urge to hug him as tight as I could.

The good thing was, I could do that now. And so I did it.

"Did you miss me that much?" I heard him laugh above my head pressed against his chest.

"Shut up," I groaned. "You know I miss you all the time."

"Even now?" His tone was slightly ironic.

"Even now. Because I know this moment won't last forever."

"It could…" he said evasively and I looked at him curiously. What did he mean?

But he didn't answer my silent question.

"So, this is where we were supposed to meet. You must have had a reason to choose this place."

"Of course," I laughed. "Follow me."

I walked down the corridor on the left, the one with a dead end. While doing so, I thought over and over again : _I need a romantic place to spend some time with Scorpius._

As I was silently walking up and down the corridor for the third time, just before Scorpius definitely started thinking I was crazy, a little door materialised on the wall. I turned around exultantly, only to see Scorpius gaping in front of the miraculous door.

"Come on, let's get in!" I told him, dragging him in by the hand. "You won't recognize the room, but we've already been there together."

Understanding lit up his features.

"Oh. Is it the room where we hid after the Christmas Ball?"

I shut the door behind us, stretched on my toes and kissed him in memory of that night.

"Exactly."

We slowly turned around together to see the form the room had taken. It wasn't a lot bigger than last time, just large enough to fit the fat, comfortable couch and the little square table it contained.

"What is this place?" Scorpius asked, dumbstruck.

"It's the Room of Requirement," I said in a low voice, as if I was telling him a secret – which was the case, in a way.

"My parents and my uncle Harry used to come here a lot when they were students here. At the time, the Room would turn into a vast training room for their DA meetings. Because the Room actually turns into a place where you find what you need at the moment you walk in front of it."

We sat down on the couch and I fit myself into Scorpius's arms.

"I didn't know where the Room was before we ran into it the night of the Ball. But once we got inside I immediately inderstood where we were. And I asked a few questions to my family during the holidays to confirm my idea." I laughed lightly. "My uncle and my aunt used to come here and snog all the time."

Scorpius seemed to ignore my comment.

"You must be so proud of your family," he said, his voice barely audible.

I wasn't expecting this. I frowned.

"I am, most of the time." I thought about the scene my father had made when he met Scorpius and I snorted, "expect when my father organizes a court for my boyfriend and his parents on Christmas day."

I laughed again, but Scorpius didn't. I looked up at him, only to see him thoughtful again. I definitely didn't like seeing him worried.

"What's wrong?" I asked soothingly, putting my hand on his forearm.

"I wish my family gave me reasons to be proud," he said, shaking his head. "But whereas I have inherited a well-known family story, just like you, mine is the exact opposite of yours. _Nothing_ tp be proud of there"

I tried not to, but my mind immediately went to Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort's most famous sidekick, killer of so many loved members of my family – and, as it happens, Scorpius's aunt. I shivered involuntarily. Scorpius noticed.

"See?" he said with a reproachful tone – it didn't sound as if he said that against me, but against him.

"Rose." He took me in his arms, his eyes looking into mine. I felt a little dazed by his silver grey gaze, and I couldn't think of anything else to say but :

"Huh?"

Scorpius smiled and hugged me tighter.

"Rose, I'd like you to get to know my parents – and them to get to know you. I know nothing erases the past, but if we really try, maybe we can set the future on better bases. What would you say about spending a few days at the Malfoy Manor during the Easter holidays? »

I was stunned. The Malfoy Manor? An entire week with Mr and Mrs Malfoy? An entire week in the place where my parents had been held prisoners, had been tortured, had almost been killed – or even worse, if Voldermort had arrived on time, if a devoted house elf had not sacrificed himself to save them?

Yet Scorpius's face shone with such hope, and I was so curious about his parents – had they really changed since Hogwarts? - and I wanted to piss my father off even more to take it out on him for what he'd done to Scorpius on Christmas – that I had no choice but to say yes.

"Yes!" I almost screamed, throwing my arms around his neck. "But on one condition: that you spend the other half of the Easter holidays with me, at the Burrow."

Scorpius's laugh was clear, confident, even though it was slightly muffled by my hair. "I will."

I looked up at him, and he pressed his hand on my cheek, slid it gently into my hair, and bent to kiss me.

I can't really tell what happened for the next moments – or were they hours? – my brain was simply too hazy with love.

* * *

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	17. I don't like to think love is like war

_Hello everyone!_

_A big hug to my lovely reviewers :)): **MrsMargeryLovett**, **XxrandomxX**, **yellow 14**, **babiixilyx3**, **RHr4eva**, **sweet_razr**, **junebugbug96**, and **alicecullen51089**. Thanks so much__ for your feedback, PM and reviews. So keep reading, reviewing, adding this story to your favorites and alerts, every review matters and it keeps me going!_

_About Chapter 17: hey, didn't I tell you I'd update more often? Well there you go :)) Enjoy!_

_A/N : unbetaed._

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, JKR does. And I don't own the songs quoted in the chapter titles either._

* * *

_**"I don't think war is noble**_

_**And I don't like to think love is like war"**_

"Scorpius, would you like some more steack and kidney pie?"

Before I could answer – and the answer was thank you so much, but I've had enough with the first three servings – Grandma Molly shoveled a piece of warm pie in my plate.

I looked at the smoking food in front of me, then at Rose, sitting opposite me at the big wooden table covered with delicious food.

I must have looked utterly desperate because Rose laughed so hard she spat out the pumpkin juice she had just drunk.

"Grandma!" she told her off with a playfully reproachful tone. "I think Scorpius is full, stop stuffing him with food!"

Grandma Molly shook her head and a lock of silver grey hair fell out of her bun. She replaced my untouched piece of pie on the serving plate.

"Sorry dear, I'm just so used to the Weasley boys eating like starving Hippogriffs that I forget not everyone does that."

"It's OK," I answered politely. "I'll get used to it, just give me a few more days and I'll eat a whole pie in one sitting."

I heard a grumpy _'__hummpf_' coming from the end of the table at my right. Mr Weasley had crossed his arms on his chest and was looking elsewhere. He still couldn't acknowledge the fact that I was dating his daughter, and he meant to show me his discontent for as long as I would stay under the Weasley family's roof.

"Dad, cut it!" Rose snapped, and she sounded more like her father's mother than like an angry teenager.

"Ron!" Hermione said quietly, a threatening hedge in her voice.

Even Harry Potter – I still couldn't believe I was sitting at the same table as this living legend, and I couldn't help but admire him, despite my father's hatred for him – even my father's enemy frowned when Mr Weasley behaved like that. The great Harry Potter was on _my_ side. Unbelievable.

Mr Weasley turned back to face the table, but he looked at his plate for the rest of the meal.

I would have felt bad for disturbing the family reunion for Easter if I hadn't found Mr Weasley's reaction so unfair.

First of all, I wouldn't have imposed my presence on them if Rose hadn't invited me. I was here because Rose _wanted_ me to, because she had offered me to come and meet her family. I had only come because I knew it made her happy.

Second of all, yeah, I made Rose happy. Anyone could see that. I noticed the surprised glances her grandparents, cousins, even her mother threw her everytime she burst out laughing next to me. I saw pictures of her in the living room, pictures her grandparents had put in frames and placed on bookshelves and tables, and she looked paler, her eyes emptier than they were now – now that her pink cheeks highlighted her sparkling brown eyes.

And it really bothered me that her father was too stubborn to notice those changes, and would rather miss this new part of her life rather than share it with her.

Moreover, Rose pretended she didn't care about her father's attitude, but I could tell it bummed her out a little, as if the joy she was feeling wasn't entirely complete.

My father wasn't crazy about the idea of anyone Weasley staying at his place either, but he got over it faster than that. But then again, we Malfoys were supposed to be the bad guys – and bad guys are supposed to acknowledge they are wrong to be bad at one point or another.

It's probably harder for good guys to see that.

But if Rose had managed to make a good impression at the Malfoy Manor, I knew I would end up making a good impression here, too.

I didn't want to sound biased but really, who wouldn't like Rose anyway? She was smart, pretty, perfectly relevent and polite with my parents. So after a short time my father got over her shiny red hair and her freckles and admitted she wasn't that bad – which, coming from him, was the ultimate compliment a Malfoy man could make about a Weasley girl. And my mother – well, she absolutely adored Rose.

Rose looked slightly scared at first, and she was a little shy on our first dinner all together. But even this was enough to please her mother. She went on and on about how Rose knew how to keep her place, and slowly assert herself until it felt like she was a member of the family.

And I knew Rose was happy to be here because of something she said to me whild we were lying on the clover-covered grass in the park of the Manor.

"This place looks nothing like what I had in mind," she said thoughtfully, as if speaking to herself, while looking at the white clouds passing by in the blue sky.

I knew she was thinking about the stories her parents had told her and the dark, nightmarish dungeon she had probably imagined from what she had heard. I didn't have the courage to tell her that my father had had concrete poured into the basement a few years before I was born. He, too, wanted to erase the memories of the war and of all the terrible things he'd been forced to do back then.

I didn't have the courage to tell her that my parents had changed everything they could when they moved in the Manor, from the sumptuous French garden to every single antique piece of furniture left in the house – that they would have changed the walls and turned the Manor into a cosy little cottage if they could. I didn't have the courage to tell her my grandfather Lucius never really forgave his son for doing this. I admit I was coward enough not to spoil the moment by telling every appaling detail I knew about the house I'd grown up in.

So instead, I played with a lock of her deep-red hair and asked, although I already knew the answer:

"What do you mean?"

"I thought… I though it would be hard for me to be here, emotionally." She drew a deep breath and continued hesitantly : "I never thought I wouldn't feel bad. But this place is so beautiful, so quiet, so peaceful… My parents will hate to hear this, but I really _like_ being here."

I definitely had to thank my parents for turning this creepy place into an enjoyable vacation spot.

I moved closer to her, resting on my elbows, chin in my palm. With my free hand I kept gently stroking her hair, resisting the need to tell her cheesy, lovey-dovey nothings.

And she smiled at me, the sparkle in her eye reminding me that this place was probably beautiful only because we were both here together.

***

That night, Rose let me in her bedroom while Lily was outside listening to George Weasley telling the children the tales of his and his brother Fred's youths. The laughter that came from the garden told me we had some time ahead of us and that we could relax a little. Despite Grandma Molly, Hermione and Happy Potter's combined efforts, despite the fact that Rose's cousins had gotten used to us being together and had even started to like me, the atmosphere was still tense from Mr Weasley's bad mood. But I wouldn't let myself feel unwelcome just because of that. Rose's arms holding me were enough to remind me I was _not_ unwelcome.

"Sorry about my dad…" Rose apologized once again.

"It's OK. And the other members of your family are really nice to me. And your grandmother sure knows how to cook."

Rose smiled – apologetically, again – "She's stuffing you with food, I can see that."

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly capable of developing the appetite of a Weasley man."

Now she really laughed and I felt happier.

"You only have three days left, though," she warned me. "And the third one is Easter. You'd better get ready for this: there's going to be a lot of chocolate around."

"Oh, chocolate doesn't scare me, you know," I shrugged playfully.

"Wait until you see what the Weasleys mean by 'chocolate'. There's chocolate literally everywhere on Easter. And the Weasley tradition is that we play a Quidditch game at the end of the day, in which the winning team wins the biggest chocolate egg in the house as a prize."

My eyes lit when I heard the interesting news.

"Really? A Quidditch game?"

"Oh, don't worry," Rose said, misinterpreting my reaction, "you don't have to play. I usually don't," - sur she didn't, I knew she was afraid of hights, let alone fly around on a broom, chasing a Quaffle – "we can go for a walk or something instead."

"Are you kidding? Quidditch is my thing! I _want_ to play. If anything, it will take my mind off -" I stopped when I saw the worried look return on her face, and instead of 'your father's grumpiness' I added – "going back to school."

Rose sighed lightly. "I can't say I don't want to go back to Hogwarts. I really like it there, especially since you're around."

And while she curled up in my arms, I let my mind wander to the Weasley Quidditch game. Because I might not know a lot about what made fathers grind their teeth, but Quidditch – Quidditch, I knew.

***

We had already celebrated Easter earlier with my parents, because my mother just coudn't consider the idea of us not having our traditional Easter dinner all together.

We had invited my family's closest relatives : my mother's brother Charles, his wife Emily and my two little cousins, the ten-year-old Ewan and the seven-year-old Amata. Ewan had always admired me – to him, I'd always been the older boy, the one who was studying at Hogwarts, the one who was Captain of a Quidditch team at school, and he'd never hidden the fact that I was his role model.

The funny thing was, Amata seemed to feel the same way about Rose, too. When we first introduced her to my family, Amata stared at her with eyes wide open. She scrutinized every little detail about Rose's appearance : her red hair, so uncommon in our family ; her beautiful face ; the simple taste with which she dressed ; the way she stood, a perfect balance between confidence and humbleness.

After that, Amata followed Rose everywhere, asking her questions about Hogwarts, about her family, about her clothes, about her hair. And Rose seemed both a little incomfortable about attracting all the attention and flattered to have the little girl so openly admiring her.

Dinner with my mother's family went well – my father even made some jokes, which is something even _I_ never expected him to do one day – and it was only when my mother brought dessert than I realized how easy everything had been. I thought it would be awkward to have Rose around, that my father wouldn't talk to her, that my mother wouldn't know how to behave around her, and that everybody would feel embarassed around each other. Instead, it felt like…family. Like something I felt for the first time here in the Malfoy Manor. As if my parents and I had been waiting all our lives for something to come along and make us feel more comfortable together. And I certainly never would have thought that Rose would play that role. But when I saw the love sparkle in Amata's eyes when she looked at Rose across the dinner table, I realized everyone around the table looked at her more or less the same way. My uncle and aunt looked at Rose curiously but benevolently. Ewan wondered who was the pretty girl holding his cousin's hand when she thought noone was looking. Amata looked at Rose as if she was the person she wanted to be when she got older. My mother looked at her fondly, because she made me happy and I made her happy. And my father seemed to wonder by what miracle a Weasley had managed to make such a discreet but tremendous change in our lives.

And t that very moment a thought downed on me, while I watched Rose laugh with and talk to the others. This was what family was supposed to be like, and I had finally found mine.

***

The thought of this dinner made me sigh. What I was experiencing now was so different. All the Weasley clan had gathered in the backyard of the Burrow and we were getting ready to be sorted into teams for the big traditional Quidditch game. But this didn't feel like family to me. I could feel the slightly – or, in Mr Weasley's case, openly – wary look the men gave me, as if daring me to join their team. Why did everything have to be so overblown, so pompous ? Couldn't these people gather informally and play a nice friendly game of Quidditch? No, they had to make me feel this was a _tradition_, and I was clearly not welcome in it.

Thank Merlin Rose was sitting on a bench at the edge of the playing field with Hermione, Grandma Molly, Grandpa Arthur, Fleur and the youngest cousins. Otherwise, and despite the fact that I itched to participate in any activity that would allow me to blow off some steam, I would have quit and run away from here.

Hermione got up and walked in the centre of the field.

"As the tradition goes, an impartial member of the family will choose the members of each team. And who is more impartial than me, since I still don't get a thing about Quidditch despite all the books I've read?"

"Have you read anyone about Quidditch though?" joked George. Everyone laughed, Hermione as well, and I knew George's comment was probably true. Hermione didin't look like someone who would ever read a book about Quidditch.

"Now, let me decide the composition of the teams." Hermione took a long look around and started with: "Ron. You'll be Keeper of the first team."

"James, you'll be Keeper of the second team."

And slowly each team filled with new members. Ginny, Lily and Hugo joined the first team as Chasers, Bill and Dominique as Beaters. Albus, Victoire and Angelina were the Chasers of the second team, Ted Lupin and Asha, George and Angelina's daughter, were the Beaters.

Then Hermione stopped for a second, stroking her chin. She was thinking of chosing the Seekers, and I trembled at the thought of her saying the name of -

"Harry, you'll be the Seeker of the second team." The second team burst out with joy, almost covering the next sentence Hermione said : "Scorpius, you'll join the first team as Seeker."

Although I'd been happy about playing Quidditch earlier, the silence that came with Hermione's decision sounded like a death sentence to me. I turned around, faced my team and walked a few steps to join it. Everyone looked at me with a slightly scared look on their faces. Were they wondering if I'd play fair? If I'd give everything I could to make my team win? If Mr Weasley wouldn't get so mad he'd throw the Quaffle in my face instead of just stopping it?

To be true, I had no idea how the game would go for me. After all, I wasn't playing in the best conditions. The pressure was almost unbearable. If I didn't help my team win, I would lose my last chance to make them like me even a little bit. And how could I win when I was playing against the great Harry Potter? I almost couldn't remember how to ride a broom right now.

But I had no time to entirely measure the ramifications of my playing in Mr Weasley's team against Harry Potter's. I just had time to see Rose grin at me encouragingly, Hugo pat me on the back in a way that reminded me I had some friends in my team too. Before I knew it, Hermione blew once in the whistle she had just conjured, and everybody mounted their brooms. I turned to throw a quick glance at my team members, and Ginny winked at me. And then Hermione blew in her whistle one more time, we kicked the ground and we all took off together.

First I couldn't distinguish who was who; it felt as if everyone flew past me in a blur. And then I saw something coming right in my direction. Instinctively I dodged it, just in time to realize the big black ball was a Bludger. I looked around quickly, frowning. Was it intentional? I heard Rose shout something at someone up here from the ground. OK, so it probably was intentional. But there was no way I would let any of them get me. If I couldn't help my team win, at least I woudn't give them the pleasure to knock me out. I was Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, for Merlin's sake. And now I was in the air, nothing could really get in my way.

Once I realized that, I instantly felt more confident. I looped twice in the air, and Rose's tinkling laughter encouraged me. I flew a little higher, above the others, and I took a look around in search of the Snitch. Lily and Dominique looked up at me for a second, and then returned to the game, Lily seizing a passing Quaffle and Dominique flying forward to help Bill beating a Bludger threatening to attack Mr Weasley. For up there, I had a really good view of the field. The Weasleys weren't joking about playing Quidditch: this was a serious game going on. Somehow this fact didn't scare me anymore: it thrilled me. It felt like forever since I hadn't flown, and I couldn't wait to spot the Snitch and rush after it as fast as I-

I felt a sudden gush of wind on my right. Harry Potter had been flying above me, and had spotted the Snitch a second before me. Diving in pursuit of my opponent, I couldn't help but admire the man's reflexes. He wasn't that young and still he managed to react faster than me. Damn.

But I was a little faster than him and I managed to be next to him within seconds. The Snitch was fast too. Its glittening golden wings fluttered so fast they looked as it they vibrated. Harry and I reached out for it together, just when the little ball changed direction and flew suddenly up. We just had time to brake and turn around - we were both inches from the ground and we hadn't realized it. Heart beating faster than ever, I flew up to join my team, trying not to think about how we would have crashed if we both hadn't reacted fast enough. I could tell my team was a little shocked: even Mr Weasley looked at me with round eyes, before realizing what he was doing and looking away, pretending he hadn't seen anything. Ginny gave Harry and me a relieved look and returned to the game.

I had forgotten about the incident a few seconds later. The game had never really stopped since Harry and I dove in pursuit of the Snitch, but now it was on, harder than ever. I zigzaged through my team mates, looking for the golden Snitch everywhere while paying close attention to the score. So far, my team was winning only by 10 points. Ginny, Lily and Hugo were doing a great job at scoring against James, but Albus, Victoire and Angelina were tailing them everywhere, getting hold of the Quaffle as often as they could. I thought this way of playing was a little unfair, but if the others were the followers, it also meant we were the best team.

Now would be a really good time to catch the Snitch and win the hundred and fifty points that would make us win. I had no idea how long we'd been playing, but I noticed the sun was a little lower than when we started the game after lunch. Down on the ground, Grandma Molly had already brought the prize for the winners: a chocolate egg so huge that Rose could easily fit in it. The thought of Rose motivated me: I had to win, for her. I had to prove her she was right to invite me here on Easter, introduce me to her family despite all the trouble it caused. I had to show her and all her family that I was worth it.

My eyes refocused and everything looked clearer now. The shouts and yells of my team mates and opponents sounded muffled. My eyes were instantly drawn to everything golden around me: the glint of the sun on an open window, the gold earrings Angelina wore, Rose's red hair turning strawberry blond in the sunshine and- there it was. The Snitch, fluttering inches from a completely oblivious Mr Weasley. Before I had the time to think about it, I sped forward to catch the tiny golden ball, making my way past my surprised team members. Someone yelled something at me - I didn't stop to listen to them - Asha accidently sent a Bludger in my direction and I dodged the blow without even thinking about it - she gestured a 'so sorry, mate' in apology but I simply didn't care about anything else than the Snitch.

And then Harry Potter was shoulder to shoulder with me. I quickly turned to look at him: his eyes were focused on his goal, his face tense with concentration. I enjoined my broom to speed up, and I overtook Harry by two inches. In front of us, the Snitch looked motionless - maybe because we were flying so fast - and Mr Weasley had just realized what was going on. But he didn't dare make a move for fear he'd scare the Snitch away. He had frozen on the spot, and it was the most ridiculous, hilarious scene I had seen in a long time - if I hadn't been so focused on my goal, I would have burst out laughing.

The Snitch was close. It seemed like it was waiting for us - for me - to come and catch it. I reached out and Harry Potter mirrored my action. He was back right next to me. Our hands would close together on the golden ball. I looked at Harry from the corner of my eye, wondering what he was thinking at this very moment. And he was looking at me too. Something passed through his eye, a sparkle of recognition, and he withdrew his hand just a tiny little bit. And then I knew he knew this was my last chance to be a part of this family - his family, the one that had sort of adopted him years ago when noone believed in him - and that he was letting me win in order to win my place among them.

My face shone with gratitude when my fingers close around the Snitch.

And hearing came back to me as suddenly as it had left me. The cries of joy and victory of my team mates mixed with the curses and groans of my opponents and the result was deafening. I let the sound overwhelm me, I flew up in the middle of the Quidditch pitch with the Snitch's wings fluttering happily between my fingers and I savored my victory.

People were hugging me, ruffling my hair, shouting things about how good a Seeker I was and how I'd saved the game. They flew me down gently and my feet touched the ground. All the Weasleys had gathered around me, some to thank me for making their team win, others to congratulate me on the game. Harry Potter shook my hand and I felt proud I had won his respect. And finally Mr Weasley was here in front of me, ears red with excitment but looking a little embarassed. He squirmed a little on his feet and mumbled, looking at his shoes: "Good game, Scorpius."

"Thank you, Mr Weasley. We _all_ played a good game," I answered loud enough so that everyone could hear.

And then Mr Weasley did the most unexpected thing: he walked the two steps that separated us and hugged me.

I knew I had won more than a game today. And when I heard Rose call my name, I knew what it was. She ran to me, pushed aside all my team mates and her father and threw her arms around my neck, kissing me passionately. And then everyone laughed and cooed around us, and it was a complete change from all the grumbling and criticism we had to endure the days before. Everyone gatherd around us, patting our backs, hugging us. Hermione was near us, discreetly drying a tear, a huge grin on her face.

I took Rose's hand, squeezed it gently and she squeezed it back. I looked over the crowd and saw Harry Potter and Ginny holding each other's hands, and Harry winked at me.

Yeah. This definitely was what familes were supposed to be like, and I was lucky enough to have found my place in not just one, but _two_ of them.

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_So, dear readers, what did you think? Reviews highly appreciated, and I have no problem with criticism as long as it's constructive, so please give me feedback :)_

_Press the little Review button and... keep in touch for the next - and last - chapter!_


	18. Epilogue: Somebody to love

_Hello everyone!_

_*hug* for my lovely reviewers :)): **MrsMargeryLovett**, **Avanell**, **yellow 14, hypothetic nerd**, **RHr4eva**, **rr**, **whenthesnowmelts **and **AprilFlowers96**. Thanks so much__ for your feedback and reviews, you guys really kept me going for 6 months (wow, THAT long?!)_

_About Chapter 18: as I told you, this is the last chapter. So no surprises here. I know some of you said they didn't want the story to end, but all stories have to end eventually, don't they? Thats' the difference between stories and real life ;) This one is no exception, so that you are free to imagine what happens next (that's how JKR did it, right?)_

_A/N : unbetaed._

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, JKR does and she ruuuules. And I don't own the songs quoted in the chapter titles either._

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_**"Somebody, can anybody find me**_

_**Somebody to love"**_

_(Five months later)_

The first time I saw Scorpius Malfoy, we were both eleven years old, we were both surrounded by our families – mine so much more numerous, noisy and read-haired than his – and we were both about to get on the Hogwarts Express, about to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and start seven years of magical education. I was so excited to finally be there, to follow the steps of my older cousins. I wasn't paying much attention to the people around us on the platform, until the train engine blew a thick cloud of white steam a few feet from us and I turned around to see where the noise came from. Behind the veil of steam stood three people, one of which was small and looked as excited and scared as I did at that moment. _Scorpius_.

Today wasn't very different from that day. Except that I was now seventeen, that I was about to start my last year at Hogwarts and that it would have actually made me a little sad, if I didn't have so much to look forward to.

Walking on Platform 9 ¾ with my family behind me felt like being in a romantic scene in a corny Muggle love movie. You know, the movie where the heroin walks proudly forward to meet her prince, her hair brushed by a gentle breeze. I wasn't ashamed to admit I loved this feeling. Cynical Rose must have died somewhere along the way of my story with Scorpius - the boy who had ended up becoming the love of my life. A few months ago, thinking a sentence like this one would have made me sick. Being in love seemed stupid back then. Today, I just didn't care anymore what people thought. I knew I was lucky enough to have found something most of them would be looking for their entire lives.

Behind a veil of engine steam stood a family of three. My heart lept in my chest – his sight was something I would never get accustomed to – and there was no one else around us anymore. Only me, and him, standing alone among a faceless crowd.

Right then and there I felt just the same way as I did when I was eleven and I first saw him. Only now it was so obvious that it felt like fate. There was definitely something about him - maybe the fact that he was so blond, his ruffled hair almost silver-white in the automnal light of King Cross – maybe the fact that he was an only child when I couldn't count how many cousins I had – maybe the fact that he was so _different_ and I just couldn't keep my eyes off him.

Or maybe it was because we were two broken pieces of the same heart and we instantly knew that when we saw each other. Maybe because my fiery red hair and his platinum blond hair looked strangely good together. Maybe because we laughed, and talked, and never got bored of each other. Maybe because he was so beautiful, so funny, so smart, and that he loved _me_ of all people.

We both rushed forward at the same time, in a hurry to get closer. I just had time to spot Mrs Malfoy smile benevolently at us. I saw our friends, Charlotte, Leo and Agnes standing in the crowd, coo at our sight. And after that I was wrapped in his arms, and it felt like home, and I could finally breathe again, and nothing hurt inside my chest anymore. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to be in love with Scorpius Malfoy.

All was well.

***

_I hadn't seen Rose in a month, and now I was so close to seeing her again that it actually hurt – though I'd never thought it could hurt more than the way it hurt during the summer, when she was travelling with her family so far away that even getting a letter from each other took us days._

_I tried to concentrate on my parents, who had made the trip to London just to wish me luck for my last year, but my eyes kept scanning the crowd on Platform 9 ¾ restlessly. And finally, behind a white cloud of smoke, there she was._

_I couldn't help but feel attracted to her, although one would have thought I'd have gotten used to her after all those months. But something about her just fascinated me. The moment I laid my eyes on her six years ago I'd realized she was everything I wasn't. Full of life, an excited bright smile on her face, red hair gleaming in the dim London light, surrounded by half a dozen brothers and cousins – when I was alone with my parents. Well, some things never changed, did they?_

_My father noticed the change in my attitude and looked up. He saw Rose walking towards us and patted me on the shoulder. And then he whispered to me so that no one else would hear : "I'd told you not to get too close to that girl. Well… you were right not to listen to me. I never thought I would say this one day, but you really couldn't do better than this Weasley girl."_

_I pretended to smile at his joking tone, but I was moved. My father was right. Malfoys and Weasleys _could_ be perfect for each other – well, this was probably far-fetched, let me correct it – _Rose and I_ were perfect for each other. That's why where we came from never really mattered._

_I had known that since the moment I saw her, and it was all I could think about as I left my parents and walked forward to meet her. I actually ached to hold her in my arms and kiss her flowery-scented hair. And there was no reason this feeling would ever go away._

_Rose laid her head against my chest, and I held her close to me, as tight as I could. The hurting had stopped instantly. I felt nothing but bliss, and call me a hopeless romantic – another thing I would never have imagined being called before meeting her – but I knew it would last forever._

_I was the luckiest of men, and all was well._

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_Soooo! your thoughts? I wanted it to end on an epilogue - JKR and her epilogue for DH greatly inspired me here, though she's done it a million times better than me. Feedback and reviews highly appreciated, as usual :)_

**_A/N: I've started a new story. It's called _A to Z: Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley_. Look it up if you're interested!_**


	19. Author's note

_A/N : I'd like to thank all my readers and reviewers for sticking with me and this story. _New Souls_ started last August and you guys have been patient and supportive all this time! I'm impressed :)_

_A few words about _New Souls_: I started writing this story after reading a few good fanfics about Rose and Scorpius, and I soon fell in love with their desperate and passionate love story. I wanted to write my own version of it and share it. This story has been a good way to practice my English as well – thanks for all the feedback by the way!_

_I think every love story has a little 'Rose and Scorpius' in it. That's what makes them work, or not, but that's what makes them all so exciting, too._

_I wish you all find your very own Rose or Scorpius one day ;) and the day you do, stick with them forever, cause it's _so_ worth it!_

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The songs quoted in the chapter titles are, in order :

**Chapter 1 **: Kylie Minogue, I_n Your Eyes_

**Chapter 2** : Garbage, '_Till the Day I Die_

**Chapter 3** : K's Choice, _A Sound Only You Can Hear_

**Chapter 4** : PJ Harvey, _The Dancer_

**Chapter 5** : ABBA, _Dancing Queen_

**Chapter 6** : Garbage, _Bad Boyfriend_

**Chapter 7** : Pink Floyd, _Wish You Were Here_

**Chapter 8** : Mika, _Grace Kelly_

**Chapter 9** : The Kinks, _All Day and All Of The Night_

**Chapter 10** : Britney Spears, _Toxic_

**Chapter 11** : Ani DiFranco, _Shameless_

**Chapter 12** : Björk, _I Miss You_

**Chapter 13 **: The Clash, _London Calling_

**Chapter 14** : Ani DiFranco, _Buildings and Bridges_

**Chapter 15** : Feist, _I Feel It All_

**Chapter 16 **: Yael Naim, _New Soul_

**Chapter 17** : Ani DiFranco, _Independence Day_

**Chapter 18** : Queen, _Somebody To Love_


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